


Exposure - a TMNT experience

by xXUnwritten_SinsXx



Series: Timeless104 [1]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2019-11-27 03:16:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 75,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18189071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXUnwritten_SinsXx/pseuds/xXUnwritten_SinsXx
Summary: You are a complex character that unwillingly enters the TMNT universe. One night, working alone in a laboratory, you stumble across plans that change the course of your life forever. You barely escape with your life, and now you're on the run. Everything that you thought that you knew about your job, your employers and the world is completely rewritten. Oh, and let's not forget to mention that you committed a huge scientific accident - you pricked yourself with a quarantined needle, and now your veins are burning. How could this get any worse?





	1. Into The Ooze - Profile

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my second TMNT story! I've been missing writing these guys, so I decided to try something new but remain within the familiar. It's a reader-insert story, and one that I've been planning for a while. I hope that you guys enjoy, and if you have any ideas, please let me know!

Suppressing a yawn, you rubbed your eyes. The lights from the monitors were hurting your eyes and your head, but you were so close. Just a few more minutes, a few more scans... 

You peered into the microscope, adjusting it until you saw clearly. The green liquid seemed to be shuddering - it was quite peculiar. You'd never seen anything like it, and you'd inspected a lot of suspicious goos. Frowning and pulling back, you jotted down some messy notes in your notebook and peered back in. You blinked and pulled back in surprise, then peered back down again. What in the hell? 

The picture from mere seconds ago had shifted so dramatically it was almost like it had completely rewritten it's DNA code. What had been a green, shuddering string of bacteria was now a violent purple, with large, black moving dots in it. You grabbed your notebook, perching it just close enough to quickly sketch it, but when you peered back through the spectacles, you froze. It was back to green and shuddering. Slowly straightening and glancing around the dimly lit lab, you swallowed thickly. You were both excited and nervous - you had never seen something like this before. 

When you had taken this job 8 months ago, you knew that you were in for some interesting work. Your job was mainly to inspect various quarantined bacteria and specimens that the company brought in, and report your findings back to a boss you had never met. You took the job immediately after it had been offered to you, barely questioning the fact that you hadn't even applied for it and you were offered it mere days after finishing school, and had been working in this lab with only three other scientists since. There was Baxter, who was the 'supervisor' and gave you the creeps, and two brothers who barely spoke. You didn't even know their names, which was weird. All in all, even though it seemed awfully dodgy, it was terribly interesting work and they paid  _extremely_ well. Probably to try and encourage silence, you guessed. You didn't even know the name of the company that oversaw all of your research - the laboratory was called B.Stockman Labs, but that was all that you knew. 

You pushed your chair back and walked across the lab towards a cabinet on the wall. Opening it, you grabbed an empty syringe and headed back to the microscope. The only lights in the lab were centered around your work space, which gave the place an eerie light, but you had worked late often enough to get over the anxiety. You were still surprised that Baxter let you stay late. Perhaps he thought it was just less work for him to do the next day. As you sat back down, you put the syringe off to the side for later. That was another weird thing - they didn't store all of their specimens like normal labs - they were store in syringes after inspection and placed in a medical freezer to be delivered. You didn't question it, though - at almost $100 an hour, who would? 

Almost hesitantly, you peered back into the microscope and sighed in disbelief. It was practically morphing before your eyes - the bacteria was expanding and pulsing and the green was slowly shifting to purple. It was amazing. You could only see this change under the light - the green goo in the little container you had taken the specimen from remained green the whole way through. Astounding. But what the hell was it? There was a couple other containers of the same specimen that you had been forbidden to touch, but you were curious now. Was this an anomaly or was it normal for this particular strain? Baxter had been inspecting them earlier today, but he hadn't spent much time on them. What did that mean? Did he see what you saw? You chewed your bottom lip and pulled back from the microscope slowly, turning and eyeing the computer. You were sure that you could hack into the system and take a look at what he found and if he had seen what you did, but... did you dare? This was a cushy job, and you knew that you wouldn't find better anywhere else. Besides, was that against the law? 

Taking a deep breath, you wrung your hands, a ball of nervous energy. But how else would you know? You didn't know the code for the separate cooler that the other specimens resided, and you knew for a fact that an alarm was plugged into that one. It would be useless to try. But... you knew how to hack computers, and it would be easy to get into the database. You were familiar with the program and knew that there was no encryption that you weren't familiar with. You glanced around the lab - there weren't any cameras in the lab that you knew of, and you just had to know.. 

Standing, you walked over to the computer and sat down, booting it up and logging into the main page. Hovering over Baxter's user, you bit your bottom lip. Should you do this?  _Could_ you do this? You took a deep breath and glanced over your shoulder at the microscope and made up your mind. Solidifying your nerve, you got to work, pulling information from the files and sorting through them and finally managing to break into the system's pass memory. You scrolled through the pages of information until you found what you wanted - Baxter's password. It was a good thing that you knew how to hack into computers, because there would be no way that you would have been able to guess this compilation of numbers. Either he was just generally secure, or he had something to hide. Probably the latter. 

Plugging the password in, you waited as it loaded his files. Scrolling through, you did a quick database search for the bacteria in question, and sighed, settling in and starting to scan through the files. As you scanned the pages, you noticed a few terms that kept on repeating - TMNT, Ooze, ANHI. You didn't understand what they meant, but for some reason they made you uncomfortable. As you looked deeper into the account, your brows furrowed. You found the code that you wanted, but you also found a reference to an encrypted file that included the three codes that you had seen referenced before. Your curiosity got the best of you when you scanned the file, noticing that all Baxter had written about the specimens was that he had cracked the mutation on TMNT. The file had been forwarded to someone called ShredXXI, and the title was simply, " _TMNT code ANHI active."_

Taking a deep breath, you paused for a moment to reflect on the fact that you had definitely bitten off more then you could chew this time. Damn your curiosity! But you were already too far in to back out this time. As long as you were in here, you might as well quench the curiosity or else you were sure that you wouldn't be able to sleep that night. It was already almost midnight, but you weren't tired anymore. Far from it. 

Clicking on the reference link, you were met with an immediate password demand. Minimizing the page, you reached into your laboratory coat and grabbed a jump drive (you were always prepared), and plugged it into the hard drive. Once it was downloaded and active, you let it scan the computer. It took about 10 minutes to find the code, and once you found it you entered it, only to be met with 10 security questions. Your curiosity spiked as much as your annoyance - what could possibly require this much encryption and security? Sighing, you ran the hack program again and, 45 minutes later, you were in. 

Scanning through the letter, you found a file attached with what almost looked like blueprints. The message was short but it was chilling -  _Got the ooze DNA. Setting _____ on the fourth specimen to keep her busy, bacteria tainted with that of a calmer strain, so unlikely to show mutation tendencies. Project Annihilation is underway; found the general area of the sewers that TMNT reside. Would suggest the smaller bomb over the large - could bring down the buildings on top of sewer. Will report back in morning._

You stared at the letter, blood going cold. What the hell was this? Brows furrowing, you opened the blueprint file attached and stared in horror at what looked like bomb plans. These were unlike anything that you had ever seen before - they were to be laced with tazer nets that sought out heat points and attached to them, delivering bolts of energy if the victim moved. Underneath the bomb plans were what looked like... mutant turtles? You had no idea what you were looking at, but they were blurry security camera photos of humanoid figures with shells, weapons and masks. The air rushed out of your lungs and you scrolled down to the last page. You had barely read the title when you heard the door to the lab open. 

Your heart jumped into your throat, fearing the worst - Baxter had come back, guards were there, whatever - but as you minimized the page and jumped up from the seat, you saw only the elderly janitor. He gave you a friendly smile, but you caught the suspicious look he gave you moments before. You gulped and hoped that he couldn't see how much you were sweating. You tried for a calm smile. 

"Oh jeez, you scared me!" You said, laughing squeakily, "This lab at night is always so unnerving." 

The janitor smiled at you, his voice calm, "It is, Miss. _____. You always work so hard. You need to get some sleep. It's nearly 1 in the morning." 

You nodded, mouth so dry it felt like it was full of cotton balls, "I'll just clean up my stuff here and then I'll let you clean. Sorry for the mess, by the way." 

As you walked to your desk, you heard him chuckle and say, "No worries, Miss. _____. I shall be back when you are done." 

He turned and ambled from the lab. No sooner had he left, you ran to the computer and quickly sent the three files to the printer to print off copies to look over that night. You logged out of Baxter's account, shut down and erased the hacking software, grabbed your jump drive and clocked out of the lab. You hastily cleaned up your table, shakily emptying the specimen in the syringe. Your hands shook as you dropped the empty container in the bio-hazard bin and threw your things into your bag. After you were cleaned and packed up, you jogged to the containment freezer. You plugged in the pass code and impatiently waited for the retina scan and fingerprint scan to permit access. You didn't know why, but you were paranoid that someone was going to come after you now. In your haste to leave, you tripped as you walked into the cooler and fell. You felt a painful prick on your thigh and let out a gasp - the needle had fallen, and you had fallen over it. 

It was only a small prick, and from what you could see you didn't think the ooze had touched you. You decided not to worry about it - it didn't seem to be broken, so you grabbed it, pulled it from your skin and quickly wiped the prick down. Your hands shook as you put it into the designated box, and you practically ran out. You closed the door and locked it again, grabbed your things and the papers (which you shoved into your bag), and slowed to a brisk walk. 

As you left the lab, you saw the janitor standing off to the side on his phone. Your blood went cold, but you forced yourself to remain calm. You knew that he had a wife - perhaps he was just talking to her? He gave you a warm smile as you walked past him, and you returned it. You tried to convince yourself that that proved that you were overreacting, but as you passed him you heard him whisper into the phone, 

"She's leaving now, out the north wing." 

Your breath caught, and your legs twitched. You wanted to urge, but you forced yourself to walk stiffly to the stairs. You didn't trust the elevator even on good days. As soon as the doors closed behind you, you booked it, jogging down the stairs almost three at a time. You were on the third floor, so it didn't take long to get down. As you walked out into the main entrance, you looked around. Nobody was there - you took that as a good sign. You plugged your security code into the door, heart in your throat, and froze as it flashed red.  _Denied._

You tried two more times before turning and running back the way that you had come. You burst onto the second floor and paused, ears straining. Nothing. You walked to the window and looked out. You started breathing hard - Baxter and three guys dressed like... like  _ninjas_ were walking briskly to the front door. Baxter didn't look happy. You let out a soft whine of fear, cursing yourself for what you had done. You turned and ran across the floor towards a closed office door. Thank God it was open. You barricaded yourself in the office, locking the door behind you and moving the desk in front of it. The desk was heavy, but the carpet muffled the movement. There was a thin window on the door, and you ducked your head down just in case. 

Once the desk was in place, you quietly leaned over it and peered out the window, watching with heavy, uneven breaths. Nothing happened for almost a half an hour. You were still shaking - maybe they had gone to the lab, saw you weren't there, and left? No way. They would have a record of you trying to use your code to get outside and getting denied. Heart pounding painfully loud, you leaned against the door, sitting on the desk, and trying to calm yourself. You suddenly remembered that you had a cell phone! Rummaging around in your bag, you grabbed the phone, resisting the urge to pull the papers out and finish reading them, and turned it on. Your breath hitched, wondering if you had been smart enough to turn the volume off. Thankfully, it turned on without a peep. 

Just as you were trying to figure out who to call, you heard footsteps outside. You froze, eyes wide and pulse racing. Would they find you? Gulping, you turned off your phone so they wouldn't see the light through the window, and peered out the window slowly. You saw Baxter wandering around, eyes narrowed and searching. For you. You didn't see the three ninja guys - maybe they were looking at the other floors? That would be more ideal, but you still doubted that you would be able to get past Baxter. You slowly eased off the desk. You looked at the window across from the door and debated. It was only two floors up. It wouldn't be too high. If you had to, you could make it. But could you open the window without Baxter hearing you or seeing you? Your stomach clenched painfully - you could feel yourself beginning to freak out. Why the hell hadn't you left things alone!? 

Baxter's voice made you jump. 

"_____? I know you're up here somewhere. I'm going to find you. All we need is for you to come out and give us those papers back. Everything will be okay. We can explain. We just need you to come out." The voice was still from the main room, but it wasn't close by the office. He didn't know you were in that room, but he knew you were on that floor, which meant you had been right - the others must have been looking on the other floors. But... 

They would be coming to the second floor after confirming that you were there. You felt the urge to just walk out. His voice was so calm and so reassuring. Maybe you would even be able to keep your job. Was it all a misunderstanding? 

You pulled the sheets silently from your bag and looked at them, the word  _annihilation_ pounding into your head like a knife. What else could that possibly mean? And who were these TMNT people? A group that stole their information? But a bomb...? You steeled your courage and shoved the papers back into the bag and knelt to all fours, quietly crawling to the window. You glanced over your shoulder at the window - you didn't see anyone through them, and you could hear faint footsteps disappearing down the hall, away from you. You were probably good. You turned your attention to the window above you and scanned it. It didn't appear to open from the bottom pane, like you had hoped, but from what you could see in the moonlight, it opened from the top. You looked back over at the window and tried to gather your thoughts. 

You were in down town New York. You were only 2 stories up. Why were you so scared? At worst, you'd sprain your ankle, and you were sure that that would be better then waiting around in this room would be. Legs jello, you stood, scared to death that they would see you. Shoving your phone into your back pocket, you slowly and (thankfully) quietly pried the window open. The sounds of downtown filled the room, and you knew you probably had seconds to get out before they heard. 

_BANG._

Less. You looked at the door - you saw Baxter's face through the window, staring at you as he tried to open the door. He called your name, and the calm voice from before was gone. He was angry. Very angry. You let out a small yelp as you made up your mind, turning and punching the screen from the window. Baxter yelled your name again, and screamed at someone that you couldn't see. Probably the scary ninja dudes with him. You didn't know, and you didn't have time to try and know. You managed to climb up and through the window, pulling yourself through just as they barreled into the room. You cast one last terrified look into the office, meeting gazes with Baxter. Then you dropped. 

You heard him screaming for them to get downstairs, but that was the last thing you heard as wind rushed into your ears. You were higher up then you had thought, and you hit the ground hard. Your ankles screamed, and one snapped. You let out a howl of pain through your clamped jaws, tears prickling your eyes. You had no time to stop, though - you knew that they were going to be on you in minutes. You had dropped into an alley that was thankfully empty and fairly dark. Ignoring the pain, you pulled yourself up and started to run further into the alley, taking a left turn at the edge. You cursed the loud slapping of your sneakers on the pavement, hoping that the regular New York sounds drowned you out.

You kept running, the alley thankfully full of turns into adjacent alleys. Unfortunately, a few turns later, you hit a dead end. Chest heaving and ankle screaming, you staggered to the wall and tried to stay quiet, listening. It took a few moments, but you heard footsteps running your way. You looked around frantically, looking for somewhere, anywhere to hide, and your eyes landed on a propped open manhole. Gulping at the unfavorable spot, you decided you didn't really have many choices, and you staggered over to it, somehow managing to step down onto the ladder without falling. You pushed the wrench holding it open and, body screaming, slowly lowered the top over you. It barely made a noise. You tried to gracefully move down the ladder, but your ankle gave up at the bottom, and you dropped past the last few rungs. You let out a soft, anguished cry that was drowned out by the rush of water. You barely noticed the smell. 

Sitting on the damp concrete, you held your hurt ankle and listened, trying to see if you could hear anything. You couldn't, but nobody tried to pry open the sewer hole, so that was good. You sat there for who knows how long, catching your breath and taking inventory of all of your hurts. Your ankle was probably broken, and running on it hadn't helped, and your other ankle was bruised, but okay. Your head and chest hurt, you were still wearing your lab coat, and you had all of your things still. Your phone was in your pocket - you hoped falling on it hadn't broken the screen. Your hair was falling out of your ponytail, and your thigh burned. It took you a few seconds to remember what had happened before - you had fallen on a syringe. 

Frowning, you shifted enough to pull your (thankfully okay) phone from your back pocket. You turned the flashlight on and looked at your thigh. It seemed to be swelling under your pants. What the deuce? You decided to worry about it later, and pulled yourself up. You decided that it would probably be safe enough to go back up, but you didn't really want to risk it quite yet. You didn't know the sewers well, obviously, but you knew that manholes were everywhere. You picked a direction and started limping, deciding to take the first one that you found this way and get yourself to a hospital. 

You were fine for a little bit, leaning against the wall and limping, but after almost 10 minutes, the burning from your thigh moved up to your chest. 20 minutes passed, and you fell, your entire body alive with fire ants, the pain making you shudder, mouth foaming. You barely had time to register that something was really, really wrong, before you lost consciousness, clutching your bag to your chest. 


	2. Into The Ooze - Found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really enjoying writing this, actually. I didn't think that it would be my cup of tea, but hey! I hope that you are all enjoying this too! Please feel free to give me any recommendations!

"...found this on her. You might want to take a look at..." 

"...her in the alley passed out? I mean, look at her thigh....." 

"....bring her here!? What if she's working for Shredder!? Did you even think...." 

Snatches of talk over the course of your unconsciousness reached you. You had no idea who was talking, where you were, or why you were in so much pain. Any time you reached even a semblance of clarity, the blinding pain in your head and, of all places, your hands and feet, stalled your brain and you went under again. When you finally came around for good, you heard the soft beeping of a medical machine, and the tightness of an IV in your arm. So you were in a hospital then? 

You pried your eyes open and winced at the brightness - everything was so  _sensitive_ now. You were hyper-aware of the lights, the sounds around you, the sounds of water rushing somewhere and cars running, the smell of the sewer and... pizza? Odd. Those weren't things you usually smelled in a hospital. But there was the strong undertone of sanitation and sterilization spray, too. And you could hear someone moving around in the room with you. They hadn't noticed you were awake yet, you guessed. 

Speaking of waking up... how long had you been asleep for? All you remember was.... oh shit. What if they found you!? 

You bolted up, panicked, the blood pressure machine beeping rapidly and loudly. Your chest heaved, body still burning and tight, but you ignored it, looking around you wildly. What you saw made... no sense? It looked like you were almost in some sort of a dome garage. Miscellaneous tools lay around, and a red motorcycle missing tires sat on jack. The other side of the odd room held a huge technological section - 10 large screens that all seemed to be doing different things - one seemed to be a computer screen, and the others looked like security cameras. Beside all of that, and closer to you, medical equipment and various other things that you recognized for your lab work lay. You heart pounded - you already knew that you hadn't been caught, but what if where you were now was worse? 

"Hey? Are you okay? Calm down, you're okay!" 

The voice was soft, hesitant yet concerned. You looked around trying to find who was speaking, and you saw a figure standing cloaked in shadows. It was bulky, and it seemed intent on not showing himself. While this didn't look like somewhere Baxter would bring you, you still weren't sure that this wasn't something related. Voice crackling and hoarse, you said, 

"W-Who are you!? A-Are you working for B-Baxter?" 

"Baxter?" Came the confused reply, "What are you talking about?" 

"Who are you!? Where am I? What am I doing here?" you said, panicked voice growing stronger and louder with every word. 

The figure tried to calm you down, but when he realized that you weren't going to be that easily placated, he stepped into the light. You froze, eyes widening at the oddly familiar face. He wore a purple bandanna and a bulky white lab coat. You could see a bulge over his shoulders; you guessed that was a shell. You couldn't make sense of what you were seeing, but there was no doubt - he was one of the.. things? people? from the security photo. The more you looked at him, the more something started nagging at your head. Something.. an acronym... 

"M-Mutant turtles... ninja...?" Your brain hurt, it hurt a lot, but something was urgently picking at your brain. Something important, the reason that you were on the run from.... 

The purple turtle said something to you, walking a little closer, arms outstretched in case you fell or fled or something. All of a sudden, through the fog of your brain, it clicked. Your eyes widened and you shot off of the table, wobbling, ankle almost buckling under your weight. The turtle dove forwards to catch you if you fell. 

"You guys are in danger," You said in a hurry, hands shaking violently, "There's a bomb, they're making a bomb and they know where you guys are close to and they're going to kill you and oh my god I think I might have helped them but I didn't know, I don't know, they aren't, I just..." You were rambling and barely making any sense you knew, but it was all rushing back to you, and the panic and fear was back. You had put two and two together for the most part - you were in the sewers, they must have found you. 

"Whoa whoa whoa, please slow down, you're going to hurt yourself. I need you to sit back and relax---" 

You cut him off, voice rising with panic, "Don't you understand? You're in danger! You're all in danger! I don't know how m-many of you there are but they're coming after you and I don't know when but they said project annihilation was underway and--" 

"Donnie? What's going on?" Came a voice. 

In your panic, you had barely heard someone coming in. You turned only to see another turtle (they were both so much taller then you jeez), which one wearing an orange mask with what looked like nun-chucks on his hips. He had a piece of half eaten pizza in one hand, the other holding a gaming controller. He froze and stared between the two of you - you gaped at him, and he gaped at you. 

"Mikey... go grab Master Splinter and Leo. And maybe Raph. Just get everyone in here, okay?" the purple turtle, Donnie?, said flatly. 

Mikey hesitated for a moment, before gulping and nodding, disappearing the way he had come. Donnie looked at you, hands out to try and calm you down. 

"Please sit down. You can tell us what happened when the rest of my family gets here, okay? I just need you to relax. Here," He turned and grabbed a bottle of water with a straw in it and handed it to you, "Take a drink. You've been out for a few days and you've... been through a lot." 

You hesitantly sat back down on the table-thing, taking the water in shaky hands and sipping softly. A few days? "What day is it?" you asked thickly. 

"Monday," he said, obviously relieved that you sat down and were more calm. 

It had been Friday when you had been at the lab.... you were out all weekend. And what did he mean by, 'been through a lot'? Did he just mean in general, he assumed you had gone through a lot? While you were reflecting, you remembered your ankle and your thigh. You glanced down - you were wearing a pale blue hospital gown, and your ankles were wrapped in white gauze. They didn't hurt too bad - had this turtle healed you? It seemed like it. Your thigh was wrapped up as well and seemed back to normal size. You wondered if perhaps you had imagined the swelling? It still stung, but not nearly as bad as before you had passed out. 

 "Did you..." you asked, gesturing at the bandages shyly. 

Donnie nodded, smiling a little, "Yeah. You were pretty banged up. I'm interested in hearing what happened to you." He fell silent for a moment, then asked, "What's your name?"

"______," you said softly, mind drifting. 

You shook your head, your heart sinking - what if you could never go home again? Thank God you hadn't gotten that kitten at the store that you had wanted. You both fell silent, and you could hear a TV playing in the background, and hushed talking growing closer as what you assumed to be the rest of Donnie's family neared them. A few moments later, 6 people filed into the room. Two were human - one woman with red hair tied up in a bun and a male with dark hair and what looked like an umpire mask on. There was one huge ass rat in a brown robe, leaning heavily on a walking stick. The other three were turtles, like Donnie. One wore a blue mask, the other a red, and then there was the orange one. They all stared at you. You gulped, suddenly feeling very self conscious - you were only in a hospital gown. 

There was a tense silence, before Donnie gestured for you to start speaking. Your eyes fell on the turtle with the blue mask - he was glaring at you. He didn't look friendly at all. The others, save for the rat, were suspicious. The rat smiled encouragingly at you. He had a fatherly vibe - from the way that the others stood around him, he was obviously well respected and loved. You cleared your throat and spoke, maintaining eye contact with the rat. He calmed you down. 

"I..uh... My name is _____," you felt dumb giving your name first, but you figured it would be good to know,"I used to work for this laboratory called B.Stockman and I uh..." nobody moved, nobody spoke. It was eerie to have so much intense concentration placed just on you. Your hands were shaking, "I just got out of med school when they contacted me.. I didn't apply but they paid really well so I took the job.. I really didn't know anything about them other then the fact that they researched bacteria and unknown specimens... It's really interesting, actually, and some of the stuff that I found there was truly groundbreaking. We would record our findings and send them with the--" 

"Oh my God, get to the point," the red bandanna turtle growled toughly. 

The blue one nudged him hard, and jerked his chin at you to continue. You swallowed and looked at Donnie and the rat, who both smiled softly. 

"I had no idea who we sent the stuff to. I still don't know. Friday I was working late, looking at a particular specimen that came in, and it was just... weird. It was violent green, like radioactive green, and when I looked at it under the microscope, it seemed to mutate... It just didn't make sense. My supervisor, Baxter," The woman's voice caught, and she exchanged dark looks with the blue turtle and the masked male. You hurried on, "He forbid me from looking at the other vials of this stuff and looked at them himself, and I wanted to see if he had found the same things as me. I hacked into the system and into his account, and I found this message that had been sent to someone, I can't remember their user, and it showed security camera photos of you guys," you pointed at the four turtles, "a blue print for a fucking  _bomb,_ and.. I didn't read the third page, but I printed it off and shoved it in my bag.." 

You broke off and frowned, "Wait, where is my bag? It has everything in there..." 

The blue guy shook his head and said, voice clipped but not unfriendly, "Just keep going. Please." 

You gulped and said in a rush, "Baxter found out that I had found all of this somehow and chased me with these dudes dressed in black  _ninja_ clothing, and that sounds weird but it's true, and I jumped out of the window to get away because I was scared, and I ran until I couldn't, and I crawled down into the sewers," you paused for a moment, before adding, "Oh, yeah, and I dropped the syringe with the goo in it and I fell on it and it stabbed me but.." 

You broke off. You were practically done your story now, "Where's my bag? Did you find it? Did you see the papers? I'm not lying." 

The rat spoke, his voice soft, thick with an accent, yet strong, "Yes, my child, we did. We believe you. We are just concerned. We knew that the foot were planning an attack, and now we at least have some idea of what they are going to do. Do you have any idea what the goo was going to be used for?" 

You shook your head, relief washing over you, "No. I didn't really know much about what I was doing at all." You tried for an apologetic smile, "I just got out of school. They paid well. Really well.." You felt a little pathetic at that part - for all you knew, you could have been helping them make these plans the whole time. Guilt crushed over you and you looked away. 

"...Even if you could leave before, you can't now. Not until things get sorted out." The woman said, her voice oddly soft. 

You looked at her, frowning at her choice of words. What did she mean, even if you could before? She smiled a little and stepped towards you, "My name's April O'Neil. I used to work for Baxter too." 

You blinked in shock. She used to work for them too? Had she found out that they were psychos too? 

"It was a while ago. I didn't know that he was still alive." She said, glancing over at the rat. 

"Uh.. small world?" You said awkwardly. 

Thankfully that seemed to break the ice a little. The orange dude and the woman laughed a little. You smiled, still nervous but a little less so. 

"Well, since you don't  _seem_ like a danger, we might as well introduce ourselves," said the blue turtle, clapping his hands and pointing at everyone in turn, "My name is Leonardo. The turtle who doctored you is Donatello. This is Mikey, This is Raph, This is Master Splinter, you know April now, and this is Casey." You nodded at everyone as they were named. 

"Baxter Stockman works for our enemy, the Shredder. We think he's trying to track down whatever mutated us. What we don't know is why. What you told us gives us reason to believe that he's found it, and he's going to try and use it against us. If you remember anything at all that might be useful information for us, please tell us. For now, you're welcome to stay here." 

"I don't think she's going to be going anywhere else," the red one, Raphael, muttered with a smirk. 

Leo glowered at him and out of the corner of your eye, you saw Donnie mouthing something. Master Splinter said, "I think we should give _____ some time to recover. We have much to discuss." 

Master Splinter smiled warmly at you, bowed his head slightly, and everybody filed out. It was just you, April and Donnie left in the room now. You chewed the inside of your lip, nervous. 

"What did he mean?" You asked, "Raphael?" 

Donnie glanced over at April uncomfortably, then said, "So you said that that syringe pricked you?" His voice sounded weird. You nodded, a sinking feeling entering your stomach, "Well, we think that.. whatever that goo was, sort of... well..." He glanced over at April again, and she grimaced a little. 

She turned and grabbed a little mirror. When she handed it to you, you felt an awful sense of foreboding, and you glanced between the two of them. Donnie gave you a not-so-encouraging smile, and you looked in the mirror. You gasped, then everything went black. 


	3. Evolution - Acceptance

When you woke up, you were laying down with a warm blanket over your body. You suppressed a yawn and blinked a few times. You wondered what had happened to you. Why had you fainted? Oh. Right. All at once, the calmness you felt from awakening was replaced with a multitude of different emotions, all ranging from disgust and despair to morbid fascination. You looked around. You were alone in the room, and at a quick glance at yourself, you noticed that the IV had been removed from your arm. You pushed yourself into a sitting position, wincing a little at your sore limbs. You eased off of the table and looked around you, looking for the mirror again. You hope that you hadn't broken it. You probably had. 

You hobbled (your ankles were still hurting) over to the mini lab to your right, looking around curiously. Most of it was medicine and equipment. You wondered where he found it all. Attention wandering to the monitors, you hobbled over and looked at the screens. Most of them were pointed at various parts in the sewers, but two of them were of the place you were in.  _Lair_ seemed the best way to describe it, from what you could see. In one of them, you could see another garage place where a huge vehicle sat stationary, and in the second one, you could see what seemed to be the living room. A huge TV sat in the middle with a couch in front of it, and you could see where it branched off to a few rooms. You were so wrapped up in examining the screens that you didn't hear someone walk in behind you. 

"Hey, you're awake!" 

You jumped guiltily - you hadn't really been doing anything wrong, so you knew that you had nothing to be worried about, but you still jumped. Turning around, you saw Donnie, carrying a pizza box. Your lips quirked in a small smile as he walked closer, setting the box on the desk beside you. 

He gestured at it, "I brought you some pizza. I'm sure that you must be hungry." 

Your stomach let out a loud gurgle, and the two of you laughed a little. You reached over and grabbed a huge slice of pepperoni pizza, biting into it greedily. God, pizza had never tasted so good before. Donnie smiled at you, then nodded his head towards the screens. 

"As you can see, we're a little bit crazy about security." You smiled and lifted a hand to cover your mouth as you spoke (you still remembered your manners about talking while chewing), 

"I mean, you have every reason to be. But this is a pretty cool set up." 

Donnie grinned and grabbed a piece of pizza for himself, "Yeah, it is. It took me ages to figure it all out, but I think it's a pretty tight deal." You smiled at him and took another bite of your pizza, "You can have as much as you want," He added, gesturing at the pizza, "We have tons." 

You smiled and thanked him, grabbing another piece and happily munching away. You even ate the crusts. After a comfortable bit of silently eating, Donatello rubbed his hands together and said, "How are you feeling?" 

You swallowed the bit of food in your mouth and said, "I feel okay. Still a little... you know." Donatello nodded, "I feel a little better with some food in me," you added. 

Donatello smiled a little, then said softly, "I know it's a shock, but hey. At least you're not a huge turtle." 

You had to laugh at that, shaking your head, "I mean, I'm still green." 

Donatello shrugged, "Hey, you win some, you lose some. I mean, I think you look alright. But I'm used to what happened to us, so I guess it makes it easier for me to be more accepting of things that might take other people more time to come to grips with." 

You nodded; that made sense. After a second of silence, your eyes roaming the room, you said, "From a scientific standpoint, it's fascinating. I'm trying to focus on that part right now. I mean, it's sort of hilarious, really. I didn't think too much about... well, you guys," you said hesitantly, trying not to be offensive in any way, but from Donatello's grin, you didn't have to worry, "I just sort of accepted it. But I never thought that I... Well, I mean, I'm green. I have.." You sighed a little, feeling really, really dumb in that moment, "I just don't know how the hell I missed green skin before this. It's sort of a huge change." 

Donatello smiled, and when he spoke, he reminded you of a professor, "Well, shock and trauma can do a lot to your brain. You have a lot on your plate right now other than this change, and that distracted you. It's normal, really, for your brain to pick up on some things and completely disregard others, no matter how big or small." You nodded - that did make sense. But it was still mind-boggling to you. Seriously. You had inspected yourself before this and you hadn't noticed green skin? Maybe you had hit your head when you passed out the first time. 

"It's going to take some getting used to now. And I guess I understand what Raphael said now.." you added, trying for a bit of humor, "I don't really think that walking into a store will be in my future anytime soon." 

Donatello laughed, "Welcome to the club. We have to wear these huge trench coats and ugly black hats if we have to go above and mingle. It's humiliating and really not that good of a disguise. But hey, this is New York. Nobody really notices." 

You grinned a little, feeling better in that moment than you had in days. You finished your 5th piece of pizza and discreetly wiped the grease onto the hospital gown. You glanced around, still curious about everything and fully aware that your brain was trying to push the fact that you had  _mutated_ from your mind. You had to deal with it sooner or later, and your brain obviously chose later. Oh well. You might as well just go with it. 

"So... What am I going to do?" you asked, your voice soft and more helpless than you liked, "I can't go home. I mean, at least Baxter won't recognize me now. But I can't just waltz into my apartment. I just..." You were lost. Now that you were starting to calm down a little, the weight of everything collateral that had happened crushed onto your shoulders. Donatello shot you a look of pity, reaching out and gently resting a green hand on your now equally green shoulder. 

"It's okay. I know it's a lot but.. well, I'm pretty sure you can stay here. I doubt the guys or Master Splinter will mind. It's not like you really have anywhere else to go, and you're in as much danger now as we usually are. We have the room. There's 2 empty bedrooms here, actually. We had an old lair somewhere on the other side of New York that got raided and destroyed by Shredder and these robotic monsters we call Mousers." You cringed - you still couldn't believe that you were tied up in something like this, "This place is a lot bigger and better for our way of living. And, well, for you too now!" 

He tried for an encouraging smile as he added, "Don't worry. We got you now - you're one of us." 

You were grateful for his support, but a thousand things invaded your mind. Donatello, April and Master Splinter seemed welcoming enough, but what about the rest? Leonardo seemed suspicious still, Raphael seemed to outright dislike you, Casey was... well, you really didn't know - he didn't say anything at all, and Mikey... you had no idea about him either. You didn't want to be somewhere that you weren't wanted... especially now. And what about your things at home? There wasn't much that you needed, other then clothing, but how were you going to get there? Donatello must have sensed your rising despair, because he cleared his throat and moved the hand on your shoulder to your arm, gently pulling you. 

"If you're feeling up to it, April brought you some clothing to wear until we can get yours. If you want to get dressed, I can give you a formal tour of the lair?" You glanced over at you, and you smiled. 

You felt a rush of warmth towards April - that had been awfully kind of her to let you borrow her clothing. Donatello disappeared for a few moments, and when he returned, he had a pile of clothing for you. He left again to let you change, telling you he was just outside of the door when you were ready. Once he disappeared, you turned to the clothing and smiled a little. April had brought you a cute red top and a pair of jeans. She had also bought you a pair of underwear (a cute pair of blue boyshorts that still had the tag on them) and you mentally told yourself to thank her when you could. 

You got dressed slowly, watching your new body shrug the gown off and the changes. There weren't too many so far that you could see, other then the green skin and the beginning of webs between your hands and feet. It seemed like it was still making little changes in you. The webs hadn't been there the first time you looked. When you had looked in the mirror, you fainted after. The face was the second most dramatic change, other than your skin. Your previously green eyes had turned a soft violet color, and your face was more angular. You reached up and hesitantly stroked your cheeks - you could feel little... divots in your skin? They were almost like gills. You gulped and lowered your now shaking hands. 

Thoughts taking on a more amusing form for the sake of your sanity, you thought about all of the reptiles and amphibians you knew of. None of them had obvious genitalia or sex characteristics like humans did. You knew that your, uh,  _private_ parts were still there, but you peered down at your chest. Yep, you still had nipples. Odd. You shook your head and started getting dressed. Everything fit pretty well - the shirt was a little tight, but it was still comfortable. And better than the hospital gown. Reaching up, you tentatively ran a hand over your hair. It was in a ponytail, and surprisingly not as messy as you had expected. It felt like it had been brushed recently. The thought made you smile a little. 

Finger-combing it none-the-less, you walked towards the door, casting one last look around the room. As you walked out, you saw that you were on a second level of the lair. Donatello stood beside the door and smiled at you as you walked out, giving you a once-over. You definitely felt better now that you were dressed. He lead you towards a ramp that carried you down into the main living area. It was pretty sweet, you had to admit - definitely not something you would have expected within the sewers. They had cleaned it up pretty good too - the huge TV had the latest gaming consoles on it, and the orange turtle, Michelangelo, sat on the couch gaming with a piece of pizza dangling from his mouth. He didn't notice you. 

"This is the main area. As you can see, Mikey's gaming as usual, but this system has pretty much everything that you need. I have to update it every now and then to make sure that it's running smoothly, but it's a pretty good set up. We have 9 controllers kicking around, so if you ever want to game or something just grab one and hop on. You might have to fight Mikey for a spot, but other then that you're good." Mikey turned at that and shot a grin at you, eyes scanning you. 

"Hey! The chick's awake!" 

Donatello chidded, "'The Chick' has a name, Mike." 

Mikey shrugged and turned back to his game. You laughed a little. Donatello lead you off behind the main room into a kitchen area. They had a fridge, a stove, microwave, counter with a sink and a beaten up looking table with 6 chairs. Three boxes of pizza were scattered over the table, mostly eaten. 

"This is our kitchen. It's not really a 'kitchen' persay, but we have everything we need to cook and stuff sort of thrown over here. Its hard to find a fully organized living space in the sewers, so we make do." You smiled a little and nodded as he turned, pointing off to a room with the door closed to the left of the TV area, "That's Master Splinter's room and the meditation area is just outside of it. You'll be able to see it soon, but Leo's in there right now and I don't think he wants to be disrupted." You nodded again, brow furrowing in slight confusion, and followed him as he walked down a hall beside the makeshift kitchen. 

"Down here is my little lab area and another ramp up to the upper level. Our rooms and the bathrooms are all on the upper levels, spread around. I'll show you which bedrooms are up for grabs, and where the bathrooms are." 

The rest of the tour took little time, and about an hour later you have chosen a room that you liked. It was dark and cool, and pretty large. Donatello said that they would find you a mattress or something soon, but for the time being, April had offered you an air mattress. You were very grateful for all of her help - you kept making little mental notes to thank her when you saw her next. Donatello was just about to bring you back to the garage room when you heard a voice. 

"Oi, Donnie. Get down here, we need to talk. Bring ____." You looked over the railing to see the blue turtle, Leonardo, looking up at the two of you with his arms crossed. 

For some strange reason, the look he gave you made you feel like a whipped puppy. He gave off a strong air of leadership and bossiness. Donnie shrugged and said, "I guess I"ll take a look at your ankles later," and lead you down the ramp. 

You were lead into the dojo area that Donnie had told you about earlier - it was like a whole other building. There was padding on the ground to make it less hard, candles all over the edges of the room, and a pillow at the front. It was literally set up like a traditional dojo. You saw another door just behind the pillow, and you guessed that was where Master Splinter's room was. Donnie's explanation made sense now. The other three turtles were already there, kneeling on the ground. Donnie gently tugged at your arm, and you looked to your side - Donnie was kneeling too, and he motioned for you to as well. You lowered yourself to your knees and glanced around. 

The guys had their heads tilted down, silent and waiting. You blinked, feeling very, very out of place, and lowered your head as well. After a moment of silence, you heard the door in front of you open, and Master Splinter walked into the room. He lowered himself onto the pillow, kneeling as well, and placed his cane down in front of him. "My sons, and _____," he greeted, "We have had much to discuss." 

"I have thought on this, and decided that ____ should stay with us until we are sure that she is safe, as well as our family. While she is here, we will train her and help her to learn how to defend herself--" 

Raphael looked up, eyes flashing in annoyance, "What? No way. She has no idea how to fight - green skin ain't gonna change that. Sensei, shouldn't we be work--" 

"Silence, my son." Splinter's voice was soft, but firm, leaving no room for argument. Raphael's jaw clenched shut, "You will do as I say. You will train her, and you will work with her. Donatello, my son, you will try and find a way to reverse what has happened to her, if you can." Donatello nodded, shooting you a brief, reassuring smile. 

Raphael glared over at you, as though this was all your fault. You guessed it sort of was; besides, you were an intruder to their family, and now they had to train you. You felt like a burden. Cheeks flaming, you stared intently at the ground, nibbling your bottom lip. 

"Leonardo, you will go tomorrow night and monitor the laboratory that ____ escaped from. If it is truly Baxter there, we need to know what it is that he is doing. Be cautious. Do not enter the building - survey it. Watch it. Do not take any risks." Leonardo nodded his head, eyes determined and focused. 

"Michelangelo, you will go with April to _____'s apartment tomorrow night to grab some of her things and bring them back. See if her place is being monitored, or has been broken into. Do not engage. Keep April safe. If it does not seem safe, do not enter. We are to keep as low as we can for the time being, until we know more. ______'s findings have confirmed what I have feared for some time now. The Shredder will no longer bide his time. I fear we do not have much time left, but we must do what we can with the small amount we have now. Tomorrow, once Leonardo, Michelangelo and April have returned, we will hold a meeting and make a plan then. For tonight, we rest. ____, I trust you have been given a room?" 

You nodded, heart pounding. 

"Good, good. Our home is your home for as long as you need, my child." Your heart fluttered with affection for the old rat. He was so sincerely kind. No wonder the others followed him dotingly. 

"Now, my sons, go and relax. Tomorrow night, we move." Everyone around you bowed their heads and muttered, "Yes, Sensei". You nodded your head too, but didn't speak, wondering if it was your place. Everyone pushed up and started out of the Dojo. You were the last to leave. As you started to the door, you heard Master Splinter call you back softly. You turned and walked closer, kneeling in front of him and lowering your eyes. 

"______, my child, look at me," He said softly. 

You looked up at him, suddenly a little self conscious. He smiled at you, his brown eyes glittering, "We will try and fix this. But I want to thank you for bringing this information to us. Do not take Raphael's words to heart, nor Leonardo's actions. They are tense and anxious. The Shredder has been out enemy for many years. We have battled him many times, with near fatal repercussions. While this was not good news to hear, it was good to have received it - we will not be caught off guard this time. Donatello will work on trying to reverse what the chemical has done to you so that after this is done, you can return to your old life." 

While you appreciated what he was saying, you felt yourself doubting that you could ever go back to the way that things were, even if Donatello managed to reverse what was happening to you. You nodded, though, thinking it unwise to voice your thoughts. Master Splinter studied your eyes, uncomfortably intense, and after a moment he reached out and gently grasped your hands in his own. 

"Thank you. While you are here, we will help you learn to defend yourself. While these are new dangers you face, they are old for us. We know how they operate, and we will train you with our knowledge. You will be safe." You genuinely smiled at that and nodded. 

As you left the room, you glanced over at the couch. Mikey and Raph were sitting on the floor, backs against the couch gaming. From what you could see, if looked like mario kart. You smiled a little, but you felt immediately cold and awkward. Donatello and Leonardo were nowhere to be found, and you didn't feel comfortable enough to go and invite yourself to join the other two. Hands clammy with sweat, you quietly made your way to the ramp that lead to your room, hoping that the others didn't see you. They didn't. 

As you walked down the hall to the room that you claimed for your own, you passed a slightly closed door. You heard voices from inside of it, and you knew that it was wrong to listen, but your name made you pause and listen. 

"_____ is alright, Leo. I highly doubt that she's a danger to us."

"I understand that, Donnie, but I just... I don't know. It seems really weird to me. We haven't seen or heard from Shredder in almost a year now, and she just happens to show up, passed out and  _mutating_ ," the emphasis Leo put on mutating made your skin crawl and your eyes prickle, "it just doesn't seem normal." 

Donnie chuffed in annoyance, "Leo, nothing about our lives is normal. What about April? You didn't second guess her. If she trusts ______, why can't you? If  _I_ trust _____. why can't you?" 

There was silence for a moment, and then you heard Leo's voice, softer this time, "I'm worried about our family." 

"I know, Leo. I know. I am too. But _____ isn't a danger. I'll throw myself under the bus for this. She can be trusted. And she needs our help." He paused for a moment, before saying, "I don't think I can reverse what happened to her. I know that Master Splinter wants me to try, but I can't even understand what happened to us, let alone what happened to her. I would need the actual substance, and from what she's said, and what April's told us about the operations she remembers, it's airtight. I don't want her thinking that I'm going to wave a wand and come up with something." 

Leo sighed a little, "Donnie, you're a genius. If you can't find anything, then maybe there's nothing to be done at all. She might just be stuck like this. As shitty as that might be for her, well, it could be worse. And hey, we turned out alright." 

Donnie let out a reluctant laugh, and you decided that you were done listening. Walking to your new room, heart pounding, you closed the door behind you and turned on the light. It was a dim, almost orange light, and it seemed to make the room larger. You walked over to where the bag containing the air mattress sat, and you lowered yourself to the ground beside it, leaning against the wall. You brought your knees up to your chest and closed your eyes, allowing yourself time to grieve for your life. Who knew that a life could be turned upside down so fast? 

What if you were stuck this way? You were green. You had  _gills,_ and as you looked down at your hands and feet you felt a pang of.... you didn't know.. It wasn't pleasant though. Veiny webbing had grown in between your fingers and toes. What if you grew a damn tail? You shuddered at the though and closed your eyes, fighting the urge to cry. After a few moments of sitting silently, you got to work setting up your bed. There were sheets and a blanket in the bag too, you saw with a sigh of relief. Once everything was set up and your bed was made, you crawling under the covers and closed your eyes. You thought that with everything happening to you, you wouldn't be able to sleep, but the moment you lay down, you were out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH so I forgot to mention that the turtles are all a little older in here so they aren't underage for the more mature parts. Mikey, the youngest, is going to be 20 and the ages will go up in accordance to their canon age differences. The timeline might seem a little messed up because of the ages, but in my head it's definitely the 2003 cartoon era. though I don't see why you can't fit it into any other media/time frame!


	4. Presence

You woke up to a series of soft knocks on your door. Suppressing a yawn, you pushed yourself up into a sitting position and called, "Come in." 

Donatello peered into the room and said, "You sleep with the light on?" You smiled sleepily. You had fallen asleep with it on. 

"Not always," You said shyly. 

Donatello smiled at you and walked in, half-closing the door behind him, "I'm sorry to wake you up, I just have to change your bandages and check how you're healing." 

You suppressed another yawn and swung your legs over the side of the air mattress, "No worries. I totally forgot about that."

"How are you feeling?" he asked, kneeling in front of you and gently taking your left ankle in his hands. 

You shrugged, "Still a little weird. No worse then before, though. Have I changed at all?" you quirked a smile, "Have I grown fins behind my ears?" 

Donatello grinned a little, "Not from what I can see," he said, gently unwrapping the bandage around your ankle, "Your ankle looks good. How does it feel?" 

You rolled your ankle experimentally; it was a little tender and the muscles were tight, but it didn't really hurt anymore. It was bruised, but no longer swollen. You relayed this to Donatello, who nodded and started unwrapping your other ankle. You rolled it as well; same thing. Overall, you were healing pretty good.

"Thank you," you said, smiling at Donatello, "For everything. I owe you." 

Donatello shook his head and leaned back on his knees, cheeks flushing a light green color, "No, really, it's nothing. You actually gave me some medical practice so I should be thanking  _you."_

You laughed a little at him, and he added, "I'm going to need to, uh, check your thigh. Has there been any pain?" 

You stood up and started to unbutton your pants, "No. To be honest, I forgot about it," you said calmly, pulling your pants down just enough for Donatello to take a look at your thigh. 

You noticed he had a soft blush across his cheeks as he leaned in, starting to unwind your bandage. You guessed that caring for your body while you were passed out was different than when you were awake. You smiled a little at him. Donatello opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a soft rapping at the door. You both looked over as April slipped in, giving you a smile. 

"Hey, I hope I'm not intruding on anything. I just thought I would come in and see how things are going." She closed the door behind her and leaned against the wall, watching as Donatello resumed removing the bandage, "I see that the clothes fit! That's good!" 

"Yeah, thank you so much. For everything. The clothing and the mattress and just... thank you. I really appreciate it." You said, smiling shyly at her. 

"No pro.. wow." She broke off, pushing off of the wall and looking at your thigh. You looked down at Donatello's face first, and grimaced softly - he looked concerned. Not noticing that you were holding your breath, you looked down at your thigh and let out a soft groan. Where the needle had pricked, the skin around it was grey and almost white. It was puckered, but tight, and it started a dull throb as the open air touched it. Donatello pulled a bottle of hydrogen peroxide out of his belt, followed by a roll of gauze and more bandages. He dabbed some of the peroxide on a piece of gauze and started to gently dab at it. Your leg buckled almost immediately once the gauze touched it - stinging pain rippled up your body and you gasped. April shot forwards and grabbed your arm, steadying you and shooting an alarmed look at Don. 

"I'm sorry," Donatello stuttered, pulling back and looking up at you, "Are you okay?" 

You sucked in air through your teeth, making a soft whistling noise, but nodded your head, trying to ignore the constant throbbing that threatened to make your leg buckle again. April gently lowered you back onto the mattress and she turned to Don, "What's happening?" 

Donatello shook his head, "I don't know. It looks infected, but it doesn't have the smell. It's not weeping, and it didn't hurt until I touched it. It might be an infection but.. I don't know. I'm going to have to monitor it closely." He looked at you, eyes soft and apologetic, "I need to keep disinfecting it. It's going to hurt, but it's going to hurt more if I don't do this." 

You nodded, waving your hand for him to continue, the pain making you irritable, "Okay. Sure. Let's just get this over with."  _I'm going to find Baxter and I'm going to single handedly kill him._ you thought savagely, trying to find the closest person responsible for this mess to take your mental anger out on. April sat down beside you, rubbing a spot in between your shoulder blades. Your anger melted into gratitude for the red headed woman who barely knew you, but was treating you like an old friend. 

Donatello hesitantly poured a little more of the peroxide onto the gauze and started to dab at it again. You let out a groan as the sharp pain reverberated across your skin. It felt like your skin rippled. Donatello paused for a moment, before continuing, forehead creased in concentration. You closed your eyes and gritted your teeth, forcing yourself to breathe through the intensifying pain. It was mind-boggling just how much this hurt - it was just a small, barely-there prick. How could it have gotten this bad? Was it the substance inside of it? It had completely changed her body. Could it be starting to attack her now? You felt a smell ripple of panic. 

Suddenly, it was over. Donatello pulled back and grabbed a tube of polysporin from his belt, dabbed some onto a clean piece of gauze, and started to wrap up your thigh. Surprising, this barely hurt. It still throbbed uncomfortably, but it was more tension than pain. As soon as it was wrapped up, Donatello let out a soft sigh. You glanced at the piece of gauze that had been dabbing your skin and felt your stomach roll - it was a pale pinkish grey color. Gross. Donatello didn't seem phazed at all, grabbing it and standing up. 

"I'm going to go throw this out and clean up a little bit," he said, trying to seem calm and cheerful, "I'll be right back. April, can you bring her down to the living area if she's up to it?" 

April nodded, and you experimentally moved your leg. No pain. Just the same tense-throbbing, that was thankfully starting to subside. Donatello left the room, and April turned to you, standing and holding her hand out. 

"How are you feeling?" she asked. 

You shrugged, taking her hand and pulling yourself up. You placed some weight on your leg and braced yourself for it to buckle again, but it was alright. The throbbing was almost nothing now, to your confusion. 

"It doesn't hurt anymore," you said, glancing up at her, "Thankfully. But this is so weird.. It was just a small little prick. I don't understand..." You shook your head. 

April nodded thoughtfully, before slowly saying, "When I used to work for Baxter, he was doing some pretty shady things too. I think.. I didn't tell the guys this yet because I think that they already suspect it, but I'm pretty sure that they did find the original ooze that mutated them and decided to mess with it. I managed to get out of there, but I didn't know that he was still operating. There was a pretty big showdown between them and us, and I was sure that he was shut down, if not dead. But.. here he is. Perfectly fine.  _And standing,_ " she added, eyes adopting a far-away look that brought your eyebrows together. 

Before you could ask what she meant, April shook her head and said, "Anyways, I'm thinking that maybe they think that using this ooze to their advantage, with a little tweak here and there, might create an army for them to use... I don't know. I haven't really say anything because I don't know  _how_ to say it. You know?" 

You nodded. You swallowed thickly, pursing your lips. It would make sense, even though you still had no idea what the hell you had gotten yourself wrapped up in. There had been an entire section of the lab that was called the Experiment lab that you were never let into. It was top secret, and even though you knew that you weren't necessarily entitled to knowing everything about that place, it still peaked your curiosity. The sheer amount of security that they placed around that section was odd enough, but if you so much as looked towards that wing, Baxter would snap at you.  _It made sense._ Your heart dropped. 

"Well, we should probably get you downstairs," she said after a moment, smiling softly at you, "I'm sure that you're eager to start training." 

You let out a bark of sarcastic laughter. She grinned and lead you out of the room and into the living room. The brothers were already down there, Michelangelo laughing at some joke that he had cracked, Leonardo shaking his head, Raphael snarling at his younger brother. Master Splinter sat on the couch, watching his sons with an expression of fondness that made you smile a little. You also noticed that the dark haired man, Casey, was there too. He sat at the dining room table, grinning at the turtles. He looked up at the two of you as you walked in, shooting a dazzling smile at April. You saw the way that his eyes softened and her expression brightened.  _Awww._

The brothers immediately sobered when they noticed you, something that gave you a disappointed pang, and you felt yourself flush and look away. Donatello jumped over the railing from the second floor and landed lightly, walking over and rubbing his hands together. Master Splinter stood, leaning heavily on his walking stick and turned to you, greeting you with a smile. 

"Good morning, my child. Today you will start your training. Leonardo will start by teaching you the basics of controlling your body and mind together. In a few days, once you are comfortable, you will move on to the physical aspects. Do not be afraid of failure - it only makes you stronger, my child." Master Splinter nodded his head at Leonardo, who jerked his head at you, leading you into the room you knelt in the night before. He closed the door behind the two of you, gesturing for you to sit on the mat. You felt suddenly awkward, your heart pounding as he clapped, the lights dimming. You noticed candles in the 4 corners of the room, adding to the atmosphere. You were suddenly uncomfortably aware of how long it had been since you'd had a proper shower. You would have to have one tonight. You were pretty sure that Donatello had bathed you a little - you didn't stink, at least, but your hair was a little greasy. 

Leonardo sat in a cross-legged position in front of you. You crossed your legs and watched him carefully. 

"How are you doing?" He asked, voice soft, completely different than when he addressed you in front of the others. 

"I'm doing alright," you said, glancing away from his piercing eyes, "Just... trying to wrap my head around everything? I guess?" 

Leonardo nodded and shot you a smile, "It's a lot for you to be going through," he said, voice kind, "Don't worry. It'll get easier. I think that you're going to like this training first - it's going to help you feel a little less overwhelmed. We're going to start off today with a little meditation and some light yoga to calm your mind and your body, and then I'm going to teach you a little bit of the principles of the ninja." 

You nodded your head. If you had been in any other situation, you would have laughed at the phrase,  _principles of the ninja,_ but you didn't feel much like laughing right then. Leonardo gave you a calm, grounded feeling, and his seriousness rubbed off on you. He took this shit seriously, and so then did you, closing your eyes at his soft command and listening to everything that he said. You vaguely marveled at how calming his voice could be. There had been many times in your life that you tried doing yoga of meditation, but you could never get your mind to calm down enough or stay motivated to keep up the routine. But something about the atmosphere, about Leonardo, actually helped you to achieve a feeling of calm and piece that you had never been able to feel before. 

Once you transitioned into the yoga, you were relieved that it was nothing crazy. Just little stretches that Leonardo softly orchestrated, hands soft but firm when you needed to adjust your position. Your mind and your body felt calmer than they had ever been, and far too soon the practice was over. It turned out that the principles of the ninja were very simple, but surprisingly hard. They concentrated on your breathing and being aware of every beat of your heart, pulse of your veins, and every other little movement and function of your body. 

"You must be aware of your body. You have to listen to it, because it will tell you more than your senses alone will. When you are doing too much, your body will tell you, to keep you from hurting yourself. If you can do more, if you are getting stronger, your body will also tell you this. You need to listen to your body and your instincts - these will save you faster in a fight than your senses will." Leonardo spoke firmly but calmly, easing you into his world. 

By the end of the practice, you felt more yourself than you had in... forever. Even before the mutation, before the cursed job with Baxter, you had been slipping from who you were, too focused on making money and getting through school to take an interest in  _you._ Leonardo turned the lights back on and blew the candles out gracefully, turning to you with a small smile. You stood, your body pleasantly soft and aware. You grinned at him; you didn't know what else to say or do but grin, and he awarded you a soft laugh. 

"I think that you're going to catch on pretty well here," He said, eyes twinkling softly in the light. Your heart fluttered a little, and you grinned again. He laughed. 

As you walked out of the room, you noticed that April and Casey were gone, as were Master Splinter, Donatello and Raphael. Michelangelo remained in the living room, gaming as usual, tongue peeking out of his mouth in concentration. Leonardo closed the door to the meditation room behind you and said, "Are you hungry?" 

You nodded, stomach growling suddenly. He smiled and walked towards the little kitchen area, reaching into the fridge and pulling out a box of leftover pizza. He gave you an apologetic smile, "This is all we really have right now besides water and milk." 

"That's fine," you said, eagerly grabbing a piece of pizza, "I love pizza." 

He smiled at you, watching as you basically inhaled it, "Have as much as you want. We never have a shortage of pizza." 

You grabbed another piece and lowered yourself into the dining table chair. Leonardo sat as well, across from you, grabbing a piece for himself. You were silent for a little bit, the only sounds the gunfire and shouts from Mike's game. After he had finished his second piece of pizza, Leonardo spoke. 

"So, ____. Besides working for Baxter, what do you do?" 

You shrugged a little, "Not much, really. They were long hours. I went to University and got my PhD. I studied a lot of crap that I turned out not needing at all, but I learned some other things that I use all the time. I learned to hack computer software and security files." You smiled cheekily, "I erased a lot of files about my partying days in my first year of Uni." 

Leo snorted, amused, "Jeez," he said, grinning, "What did you do that was so bad you had to erase it?" 

You shook your head, "My lips are sealed." You grinned again. 

Leo shook his head and asked, "Okay, then. Keep your mysteries." 

You laughed, an actual belly laugh that took Leo by surprise. He arched a brow, smiling a little. The two of you carried on a small conversation, learning about each other bit by bit. You learned a little bit of where him and his brothers came from, and he learned about some of your family life. Your parents had died just after you had graduated high school, and you had had to carry yourself through college and university by yourself. You didn't keep in touch with any of your other family, "They sort of disappeared after," you said with a shrug, trying to ignore the look of pity in Leo's eyes. To change the subject from yourself, you asked him how old he was. 

"I'm 22," he said, "Don's 21, Raph and Mikey are 20. Raph's 2 months older, but he likes to pretend that it's a huge deal." You laughed a little, "How old are you?" he asked. 

"I'm 20," you said with a smile, waiting for the inevitable question. 

"You're only 20?" He asked, lips quirking, "I thought you were older. How did you finish school so fast?" 

You shrugged shyly, trying not to sound like you were bragging, "I finished high school a few years ahead of everyone and I took summer classes to finish University faster." 

Leo shook his head, "You and Donnie have a lot in common. You're both big brains." 

You laughed and shook your head, " I am  _not_ a big brain. I just really like science and learning." 

"Yeah. Donnie." Leo shot back, smirking. 

You shook your head, laughing a little, "Okay, whatever." 

You glanced over your shoulder as the door to the lair opened. Raphael and Master Splinter walked in, talking softly. Raphael didn't look happy, but you were beginning to see that he was never really 'happy'. He paused when he looked up and saw you, his eyes narrowing a little. Splinter said something that had him sigh and shake his head. He muttered something, then turned and headed up to his room. You glanced over at Leo, who had stood and bowed at Splinter as he walked closer.

 "How did training go?" Master Splinter asked the two of you when he reached the table. 

"Very well, sensei," Leonardo said formally, the firm tone he had used before appearing again, "_____ is learning fast." 

Master Splinter turned kind eyes towards you, smiling, "I am glad to hear that. I figured that she would catch on fast. Now, my son, if you do not mind, I wish to talk to you in my quarters." 

Leonardo bowed slightly, nodding to you and following Splinter into the room. You sat silently, alone now, before standing up and putting the pizza back in the fridge. It seemed that you had a little time to kill. You guessed that you would......

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the kind comments! I'm glad that you guys like it so far. It's a lot of fun to write, actually. So this chapter is when things are going to actually kick off. I had this idea of making you guys control the flow of the story and choose which turtle your character wants to bond with the most. This is the first divergence - I'm leaving this chapter ending open so that you can choose which of the 4 brothers to make the first step towards. There are going to be a few more of these set-up chapters in the future until the personalized endings, so I thought I would introduce this early on. Please let me know what you guys think of this format - do you like it? Or would you prefer something else? You guys control this part! Please, let me know! Love, always!


	5. Trip to Ooze City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY so I thought that I was going to start to split into the first of the personalized chapters, but I sort of started to lead into a pretty vital part of the story, so AFTER THIS CHAPTER i'll split it all up. This is just a pretty important part and I don't want it to get confusing by having to try and rewrite it. Sorry for the confusion, guys! I hope it will all make more sense once I have this written out.  
> Also, I just wanted to thank all of the kind comments I've gotten. I appreciate it a lot and I'm so happy you're liking it so far!

You guessed that you would go back up to the first room you woke up in and see if you could find Donatello. The incident with your thigh was still bothering you, and you wanted to know if Donatello had any ideas about what was going on. You felt like you were maybe being paranoid, but the thought of the ooze attacking your body was still in the back of your mind. Making your was towards the room, you slipped your hands into the back pockets of your jeans and hoped that you weren't going to be bothering him. 

As you neared the room, you perked up a little - the lights were on and you could hear the sound of someone rummaging around. At least he was there. 

You poked your head through the gap in the door and called, "Hello?" 

You heard a bit of rummaging, and then you saw Donatello's head pop up from behind the motorcycle you saw before. He had a grease smudge on his left cheek. He smiled at you and waved you in. 

"I hope I'm not bothering you," you said as you walked in, closing the door behind you. 

"Oh, no, not at all! I was just fixing Raph's bike for him. The last time he was on it it got pretty banged up." Donnie said, standing up and rubbing his hands together, "What can I help you with? How are you feeling?" 

He walked around the bike towards you, wiping his hands on a dirty rag, and shot you a small smile. 

"I'm feeling really good, actually. I just... I wanted to ask you something." You said, suddenly nervous for some reason.

"Yeah sure. What's up?" he asked, demeanor changing from calm to concerned as he perched on a stool. 

"It's about what happened to my thigh earlier. I just.. while I was studying the substance it... well, it changed. It was like it completely transformed it's entire DNA makeup." Donnie shot you a weird look, and you hurried on to try and explain, "It was green, and when I looked at it under the microscope I couldn't see much in the way of bacteria or particles. I mean, there obviously was some but.... it started to change. It completely changed from green to this violent purple color, and it had what looked like Thermus microbes, but they were moving rapidly. It was... weird. And when I grabbed my things to try and document it, it had changed back to green. It kept changing colors under the microscope, but the tube with the rest of the ooze in it stayed green. It stayed green to the eye on the slide when I pulled it out, too." 

Donatello shook his head, opening his mouth and then closing it, seeming to think better about what he had thought. An uncomfortable silence fell as Donatello's brain whirred, trying to make sense out of what you said. It seemed impossible, you knew, but you figured that if anyone knew, (besides Baxter, that is) it would be Donatello. Leo had spoken pretty highly about his brains. 

After a moment, you perked up and said quickly, "Oh yeah! I almost forgot - when I broke into Baxter's profile, in the letter that talked about the bomb, it said something about him injecting  _my_ specimen with something else to try and, maybe, calm it down? Stop the mutation? I don't really remember it that well." You paused, and then you said again, louder, "Oh damn I almost forgot! When I printed out the pages that were in my bag, there was a third page that I didn't get to read. Do you know what was in there? Oh and hey, where is my stuff?" 

Donnie's lips quirked in an amused smile as you spoke, letting you fully finish before speaking, "First of all, I have no idea what could have been happening to your specimen. It doesn't sound possible, let alone normal, but I might be able to figure it out. Maybe. I've been thinking on it and I have a theory forming. Second, that's weird. I'll have to find the pages you printed off and we can look through them together. Third, I don't know where your stuff is. I think that Leo took it somewhere the first night after looking through it all, so we'll have to check with him. For right now, though, can I see your thigh again?" 

You nodded, walking over to where the medical bed was. You unbuttoned your pants, kicked them off and hopped onto the bed, legs dangling over the edge. Donatello cleared his throat, cheeks flushing again as he walked over to you, pulling the stool along with him. He lowered the seat a little, sat in front of you, and gently started to pull the bandages off. You chewed the inside of your lip as you watched him work, eyes flickering between your thigh and his face. Once the bandage was off, you sucked air through your teeth as it started to tingle. 

Donnie frowned at it; it looked the same as earlier, only this time the injection site was completely black and.. it looked like something was poking out of it? Gross. You grimaced a little as he leaned forwards to inspect it. He looked up at you. 

"I'm going to try and take a closer look. Is that okay? It looks like there's something inside of it. Just let me know if it gets too much, okay?" You nodded, heart pounding. 

The longer that you leg sat out in the air the more it started to burn. Donnie turned around and rummaged around in the cabinet by the bed. When he turned back to you, he set some bandages, peroxide, and a needle beside you. He held a pair of tweezers in one hand. 

"This might hurt," he said awkwardly, giving you an apologetic smile. 

You nodded and pressed your lips together, torn between wanting to watch and wanting to look away. You decided at the last minute to just keep watching - you wanted to know what was inside of your thigh and why it was hurting so bad. Donnie leaned in and slowly poked at the area. You tensed, preparing for the pain but it didn't come. You didn't feel anything other than the slow, persistent burn. He gripped whatever it was that was sticking out of it and gave a soft, experimental tug, eyes flickering up to see how you were responding. 

Nada. You felt a bit of pressure, but no pain. Your brows furrowed in confusion and you shook your head slightly - your confused look was mirrored on Donnie's face. He looked back down at your thigh and placed his free hand on the inside of your thigh to hold it steady as he slowly started to pull at the black tip. It was hard as a rock and was refusing to budge. Donnie frowned a little, wiggling the tweezers. 

You still felt no pain, until... 

With a soft little popping noise, the black thing came out - it looked like a tiny little plug, as disgusting as that sounded. The moment that it popped out, your thigh exploded with pain. You let out a loud groan, biting the inside of your cheek to try and stay quiet. Your leg twitched and your body shuddered a little at the pain - you barely registered what was happening outside of your own internal pain. 

And then, all of a sudden, you felt fine. The pain dissolved and you hunched over in relief. Your thigh didn't even sting. It felt a little hot and tense, but it didn't hurt. 

"Hey, _____. Are you okay?" 

Donatello's worried voice brought you out of your mental pause, and you looked up at him, blinking and nodding, "Yeah. It's fine now. I just... What?" 

He was standing now, holding a little vial in his hand. He held it out to you, and you blinked, shaking your head in disbelief. The vial had a familiar green substance in it. There wasn't a lot, but there was still a surprising amount. But how? 

"I... what the hell? It wasn't even that much of a prick.." you whispered, more to yourself than to Donnie. 

Donnie shook his head, "I don't know. But this must have been causing the pain and the infection. Look at your thigh." 

You glanced down and your stomach quivered. Your thigh was fine. The grey was gone, and all that was left of what had been moments ago a dead zone was a tiny little red dot. You shook your head in disbelief, not able to utter words. You looked back up at the vial and shook your head again, mouth opening and closing. Donnie looked just as confused. Then he cracked a crooked smile. 

"Hey, at least now I have a pretty good chance at being able to reverse your mutation!" 

You snorted in amusement - surprisingly, your recent... change had been the last thing on your mind. You felt your heart flutter happily at the thought of possibly being able to become human again... but your heart quickly sank again. Regardless of how you looked, you would probably never be able to return to your old life. Besides, what about the guys? You were slowly starting to get used to this strange new world full of mutant turtles and rats, and dare you say it,  _fond_ of them, despite hardly knowing them on a personal level. 

You suppressed your thoughts and forced a smile. Donatello studied your expression for a moment silently, before gingerly putting the vial off to the side. He sat back down on the stool and grabbed the bandages, eyeing your thigh. 

"I'm not sure that it really needs bandages anymore.. I can still bandage it for you if you'd like, but it doesn't really seem necessary." 

You nodded, "I'm sure it'll be fine. Besides. I want to have a shower later and bandages suck in showers." Donatello laughed a little and stood, gathering the rest of his things and putting them away, saying, "True." 

You hopped off of the bed and grabbed your pants. As you were pulling them on, you heard a knock at the door. You hurriedly pulled your pants up and buttoned them as Mikey poked his head in. 

"Hey dudes, I need ____ for a sec. April and I are about to head out and we need her address." He sauntered in and looked around. 

"Don't touch anything," Donatello snapped as Mikey veered towards an odd looking contraption by the bike. 

Mikey rolled his eyes and turned back towards the door as both you and Donnie headed out, "Yeah, yeah, whatever." 

Donnie rolled his eyes and closed the door behind you as you all filed out. You headed into the living area to see April dressed in a black coat and black leggings, her hair tucked up in a dark green beanie. She smiled at you as you neared, and you noticed that Casey stood behind her, also dressed in darker colors. Was it really dark already? Time had no concept in the sewers. Master Splinter stood off to the side. Leonardo and Raphael were nowhere to be found. You guessed Leo was out scouting. 

"Hey," April greeted as you came closer, "Is there anything in particular that you need us to bring you?" 

You paused for a moment, before saying, "My underwear." 

April started laughing and nodded, "Noted. I'll make sure that I bring your underwear. Anything else?" 

"Other than clothing, hygiene stuff and maybe some sheets and pillows I don't know.. I don't know how much room you have.." 

"I have a few duffels with me and Mikey. He can carry some things too," April said. Mikey shot you a grin and flexed his arms. You rolled your eyes. 

Master Splinter spoke, his voice soft but hushing everyone immediately. "Leonardo is already gone. Michelangelo, my son, please be safe. Remember - you are  _not_ to fight. Keep to the shadows and observe. Keep April safe." 

"I'm gonna be there too," Casey cut in, his voice gruff, "I'll keep Mikey in line." 

Casey grinned as Mikey whirled around, scowling and snapping, "Hey!" 

Master Splinter suppressed an amused smile, "Just be safe, Casey. The same rules apply for you. Do  _not_ engage. You are to get April in and out without drawing any attention to yourself." 

Casey, April and Mikey nodded their heads. After a few more words of caution and warning, you gave them your address and watched them leave guiltily. You would never be able to forgive yourself if something happened to them grabbing  _your_ things. You felt like you should go with them at least, but you also knew that they were more trained for this sort of a situation than you were. It would be safer if you stayed here, out of the way and safe. Who knew what was happening at your place after all? 

Once they left, the everyone sort of drifted off to do their own thing. Master Splinter placed a gently hand on your shoulder reassuringly as he passed, disappearing into his quarters. Donatello shot you a small smile as he turned and retreated back to no doubt work on the bike some more. This left you with some time to kill. You didn't quite know what you wanted to do - there really wasn't a lot, but you knew that you were too worried to try and get some sleep. You had to do something. But what to do...? 


	6. Aggression [Raphael #1]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first of the choices! I know I explained it a few chapters back, but I'll do it quickly again. There are going to be little breaks throughout the story where you can choose what turtle to advance your relationship with to build up to your personalized ending. I just thought that this would be an interesting way to do this because I haven't really seen it done this way before and I know sometimes I wanted to see a more... reader-choice-friendly set up!  
> I hope that you enjoy! And as always, feedback is encouraged!

You looked around the lair and frowned a little, trying to find something to do. You weren't quite comfortable enough to just make yourself at home and turn the TV or game stations on, so you just stood there staring at it awkwardly. Suddenly you had a thought - where was your cell phone? It had  _definitely_ not been the first thing on your mind, but without much else to occupy your mind, it wandered and reminded you that it, along with your bag of belongings, was still missing. You looked around, eyeing the doors and hallways curiously. Donnie had mentioned that Leo had had your bag last. Maybe he knew where it was? Or maybe Master Splinter did? 

You shook your head to yourself - if you weren't comfortable turning the TV on, you sure as hell weren't comfortable enough to bother him. Perhaps a bit of snooping was in order? Well, you rationalized, it  _was_ your stuff, and you  _were_ entitled to it. They also did tell you to make yourself at home... a little bit of poking around couldn't hurt. Besides, you might be able to find out some more about the guys. 

Making up your mind, you started in the living room, clasping your hands behind your back and eyeing the game stations and the huge TV screens. They had the latest XBox and Playstation. They also had a WII and a Kinect. Huh. You smiled a little, bending down and reading the game titles. They had a lot of first person shooter games (you weren't really that surprised) and they also had some sports one. They had a lot of Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. but the one that surprised you the most was Just Dance. They had almost ever version of the game that had been released since the start. Huh. You smiled a little. 

The couch was a little beat up, but in a warm, well-used sort of way that looked inviting. Your curiosity outweighed the pull to the couch, though, and you wandered away. You peered down the hallway that Donatello had showed you, the one that he said lead to his laboratory. There was a second ramp that lead to the upper floor, but you noticed a second door right beside it that you hadn't noticed before. Pursing your lips and glancing over your shoulder to make sure you were alone, you reached out to grab the door handle. 

Just as your hand touched the cool metal, the door was thrown open and a surly-faced Raphael stormed out, nearly running into you. 

"Shit!" you yelped, startled. 

Raphael jumped a little too, then scowled at you, "What the shell are you doing here?" he snarled. 

You blinked, confused by the level of venom in the turtles' voice. You knew that he wasn't happy about having a stranger in his home, and you didn't blame him. But you doubted that you had done anything that was worthy of that level of contempt and disrespect. Your mood soured quickly (stress probably had something to do with how quickly your mood turned) and you snapped back. 

"What the hell did I do to make you so hostile?" 

Raphael eyed you, contempt still etched on his face, and when he spoke his voice was still gruff but not so angry, "I just don' like strangers." 

You rolled your eyes, "Well, I wouldn't be a stranger if you got to know me. I mean, I don't think I'm going anywhere anytime soon. Unless  _they,_ " you jabbed a finger upwards, signaling New York, "Have gotten used to green skinned chicks with gills." 

Raphael's lips quirked, and for a moment you thought that you saw a bit of the ice in his gaze melt. He was silent for a moment, before letting out a soft snort and muttering, "Yeah, I guess so." 

You crossed your arms over your chest and peered over Raphael's shoulder into the room he had walked out of - it was a gym. There were weights, 4 treadmills and various other pieces of equipment. You guessed that that made sense, turning your gaze to the male, eyeing his thick arms and legs. He raised a brow at you, and you just smiled cheekily. 

"Do you lift, bro?" 

That got a snort of amusement out of the burly dude. He shook his head and closed the door, "You sound like Mikey." 

You grinned at him, your anger melting away as he thawed, "How much you bench, bro? Are you swoll? Am I using that word right?" 

Raph barked a reluctant laugh, shaking his head at the goofy expression on your face, "You're weird." he stated bluntly. 

"Thanks!" You said, following him as he walked towards the kitchen. He shook his head again. You couldn't see his expression but you hoped he was still smiling a little. 

Without turning, Raph said, "Did April and Mikey leave?" 

"Yeah. The tall guy with dark hair went with them too," you added, forgetting his name. 

"Casey?" Raph asked, glancing over his shoulder at you. You nodded and he let out an annoyed, "Tch," as he filled a glass with water. He chugged it, refilled it, and chugged again. You leaned against the side of the fridge, watching him. 

He turned and started walking away, heading back to the workout room. You paused, unsure whether or not you should follow him. You wanted to, if nothing more than to occupy yourself, but you didn't want to push it. You could already tell that he had a temper, and you just managed to make him laugh. You didn't want to piss him off again. But as he walked, he called, "Ya know how to fight?" 

"Sort of?" You responded, slowly following him. 

He glanced over at you when he reached the door, impatiently gesturing for you to hurry up. You scowled and jogged over, following him into the room. The light was bright, and the room bigger than you thought. Raph closed the door behind you guys and he gestured for you to stand in the middle of the room, where crash mats were sat up. The floor was made of the same soft material as the floor of the meditation room. Raph stood in front of you, reaching into his belt and pulling his sai's out and laying them carefully out of the way. 

"Splinter said to train ya," he grunted, "Ya ain't gonna learn fast enough if they keep ya in that damn meditation room." 

Your heart started pounding - you had no idea how to fight. The closest you had gotten to fighting was back in middle school. You were pretty sure that that wouldn't help you out any. You felt a little embarrassed by your lack of fighting skills. Maybe you should have taken those martial arts classes that you mother tried to sign you up for all those years ago. Raphael eyed you, sizing you up. 

"We're gonna start on something easy. We gotta work on your form. Ya won't do much damage to anyone but yourself if your form sucks. Watch me." 

For what felt like hours, Raphael taught you how to punch properly, how to kick straight, how to hold yourself without leaving open places, and how to block punches. You watched him carefully, trying to memorize the way he stood, his expressions and his movements. After a little bit, you started to catch on, and Raphael started to press you harder. You moved from form and movement to actually fighting. He tested your blocking skills, your movements, awareness and agility. You got a few lucky hits in, but you were still bruised by the end of it. You didn't mind. You actually liked that he didn't treat you like you were delicate. 

You were sweaty, tired and thirsty as hell when Raphael finally decided that you had done enough. He nodded at you and turned, walking to a bench and grabbing a towel. He tossed it over to you and you grabbed it thankfully, dabbing your face and neck. You were thankful that you were probably getting your own clothing today, because jeans sucked to practice in, and the clothes were all sweaty and sticky now. 

"We'll do this again tomorrow. By the time our fearless leader decides you're  _zen_ enough to start fighting you'll know most of what you need to already." 

You didn't miss the sarcasm placed on the phrase, 'fearless leader', but you decided it was best to just leave it alone. 

"Thank you," you said awkwardly after a moment of silence, "I know that you wish I wasn't here. But thank you for helping me." 

Raphael grunted. He had his back turned to you, so you couldn't see his face. You swallowed thickly, and after only a moment more of lingering, you started towards the door. Raphael didn't move, focusing on something in his hands you couldn't see. Your hand rested on the doorknob. You paused, before glancing over at the turtle and saying softly, 

"I'm sorry for bringing this all to you guys. It wasn't what I wanted to do. I just wanted to warn you... I didn't know what he was planning.. really." You left the room, heart clenching painfully. 

You didn't see Raphael turn and look at you, eyes soft, mouth opened to say something. He watched you leave, mouth slowly closing. Unsaid words lingered on his tongue - he didn't really dislike you. He just wasn't fond of strangers. And yeah, okay maybe he was a little annoyed that you had completely upended the peace here, but if he was being honest, he had been on edge. It had been too quiet for too long, and he was getting restless. At least you warned them so that they could be prepared. He wanted to go after you and tell you that for some reason, but Raphael wouldn't. He wasn't like that. 

So he stood, silently staring at the door for a moment before heaving a sigh. Dammit. 

~~~

You were tempted to go for a shower now, especially since you were all sweaty and gross, but you didn't feel eager to jump right back into these clothes. You decided to at least go and splash water on you and try and smell better first, and shower fully later. You hadn't seen April or Mikey, so you were pretty sure that they weren't back yet. You frowned a little, a pang of guilt flashing through you. You didn't know how much time had passed, but it felt like too long for them to be gone. You hoped that they were okay. 

You could only imagine what Raphael's reaction would be if they got hurt because of a trip on your behalf. You already knew that it would be on you, and you cringed. You were fond of April - she had helped you out of the goodness of her heart, and you didn't want her to get hurt because of you. You took a deep breath as you reached the closest bathroom, mentally deciding to try and think positive. At least you made a little progress with Raphael. He was the one that you were the most anxious about. He had never given you a warm welcome, and even though you were sure that you had gotten a little closer today, you still felt like he wished you gone. Not for the first time, though, you decided that you couldn't blame him. 

You closed the door behind you and flicked the light on, glancing at yourself in the mirror and sighing. This was the first time that you could actually assess the changes that you had gone through alone. Your skin was still green. You still had three gills on both cheeks, underneath your eyes. You reached up and touched them gently - they felt so odd. So freaking odd.

The most shocking change to you, though, was your eyes. You used to have pretty hazel eyes, but they had changed to a shocking violet color that stood out against your green skin. You opened your mouth and stuck out your tongue - that was still the same color. Your hair was still the same, currently sticking to the back of your neck and forehead from the sweat. You lifted your hands and stared down at the pale webbing between your fingers. You wiggled them. They didn't feel any different. You poked the webbing on your left hand. It felt like when you poking the crease between your human fingers. It was so  _odd._

You looked down at your feet and wiggled your toes. You had webs between those too. What the hell was next, a tail? You reached back and patted your ass. Nope. No tail. Thank God. You weren't sure what you would do if you grew a tail. Somehow that felt like it would have been the last straw. You stepped back from the mirror and looked at yourself fully. The shirt was dotted with sweat stains, and your jeans hugged your figure snugly. You were surprised you hadn't ripped them while kicking. 

You had forgotten to lock the door behind you, so lost in your thoughts that it hadn't even crossed your mind. As you reached up and touched your gills again, eyes fixated on your face, the bathroom door swung open. You jumped as Raphael stepped in, then froze. 

"Ah, sorry, I didn't know that you were in here," He said hurriedly, cheeks dusting a light green blush. 

He started to back out, but you stopped him, "No, no, it's okay. I'm, uh, done anyways." you said in a rush. 

Raphael paused and looked at you, eyes still guarded as you walked to the door. He stepped back to let you through and you awkwardly moved past him. As you turned to walk down the hall to your room, you heard his voice behind you, oddly soft. 

"Ya don't look that bad. Not to me at least." 

You paused, brows furrowing, and you turned to look at him, but the bathroom door swung closed and he was gone. You blinked, processing what he had said, and reached up to touch your gills again. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all. You smiled a little to yourself, cheeks flushing with warmth. You turned and walked into your bedroom, closing the door behind you and sitting on the air mattress.  _Maybe this isn't so bad._


	7. Experimental [Donatello #1]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second reader choice! I hope that you're enjoying this and the format is starting to make sense!!!\  
> Quick copyright, songs aren't mind. The songs I used are Right Thurr by Chingy, ET by Katy Perry, Ball For Me by Post Malone,

You wrinkled your nose, looking around the lair and racking your brains to try and think of something to do. You sort of wandered around the living room, looking at the electronics and reading the game titles curiously. You smiled, eyeing the Mario games. For some reason, seeing Just Dance didn't surprised you at all. They had a pretty good selection of game consoles, too. They somehow had the newest XBox, Playstation and they even had a WII. They also had a Kinect, which made sense, with the Just Dance. As you wandered, poking around, you heard the soft thumping of music. 

Your mind tingled with recognition - you knew the song, but you couldn't remember what it was called. Curiosity peaked, you followed the sound up to where Donatello was working on Raphael's bike. The door was closed, but you could hear the music flowing from the room, tools clinking in the background. As you focused on the song, your head started to bop along and your toes tapped. You hadn't heard this song in a long time.

 _I like the way you do that right thurr (right thurr)_  
_Swing your hips when you're walkin', let down you're hurr (let down your hurr)_  
 _I like the way you do that right thurr (right thurr)_  
 _Lick your lips when you're talkin', that make me sturr_

You tried not to make judgements on people before you got to know them, but you had to admit, this wasn't the type of music that you would have guessed Donatello listened to. But then again, you listened to a lot of stuff that people didn't normally think you would like. You wanted to pop in and see what Donatello was up to, but at the same time you figured that he might need a bit of a break from you. You had bothered him the most out of everyone so far. 

You were about to walk away when the door opened and Donatello nearly ran into you. Both of you jumped, and you started to laugh awkwardly. 

"Well, this is awkward." you stated, "I swear I wasn't creeping on you or anything. I just... music." 

Donnie grinned a little at you, stepping back and waving you in, "You don't need to be so shy. You can just come in. I don't mind." 

You smiled gratefully at him, walking in and surveying the room. Tools were strewn across the floor around the motorcycle and the smell of fuel permeated the place. You glanced over your shoulder to see Donnie looking at you strangely. He adverted his gaze when you looked at him, though, and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. 

"Make yourself comfortable. I have to run and grab a tray for oil. I'll be right back." 

"Okay," you said, watching as he walked out of the room. 

Once he was gone, you looked around the room, actually taking a closer look at everything. It was a pretty big for a sewer lair, and it was really organized. The side with the upturned motorcycle had mostly tools and mechanical things. The left wall was a cork board that held a large variety of tools on it. There were some large spare tires leaning against the far wall, and the other side of the room was done up as a makeshift medical center. There was the bed that you had woken up on, a table and cabinets that were practically sparklingly clean, and a stool with wheels. There was a table in the middle of the room that had a bunch of papers and pens and other miscellaneous things on it. It seemed to be the only place that Donnie let get unorganized. 

It was pretty cool, you thought. You remembered that he had said something about having a separate room that he called his lab. You wondered what was in there. You, of course, weren't going to try and invite yourself in or ask Donatello to see it, but you couldn't help feeling curious. You walked over and grabbed the mobile stool and wheeled it over to the motorcycle, perching on it and waiting for Donatello to come back. You hoped that you weren't in the way. 

As you sat, still looking around, you noticed the song had changed. You must have missed a few songs, because it was just starting, but you recognized it immediately and grinned. Katy Perry? Really? 

_They say be afraid_   
_You're not like the others, futuristic lovers_   
_Different DNA, they don't understand you_   
_You're from a whole other world_   
_A different dimension_   
_You open my eyes_   
_And I'm ready to go, lead me into the light_

You started to sing softly under your breath, slowly spinning around in circles on the stool. You didn't hear Donatello come back or close the door behind him, so focused on spinning and singing that you didn't register anything else. You heard a soft laugh and, 

"Don't make yourself too dizzy." 

You stopped, turning to face the door, where Donatello stood, smiling at you. Your cheeks warmed a little, sort of embarrassed. You brushed it off with a cheeky grin. 

"I never get dizzy." 

"Ah, okay then, walk over to me." Donatello challenged, eyes flashing with amusement.

"Fine!" You said, pushing yourself off of the stool and moving towards him. 

As it turned out, you  _did_ get dizzy, and you staggered off to the side, vision spinning a little. You hadn't realized that you had been spinning for so long. Donatello laughed, stepping forwards to try and steady you with his free hand. You shook his hand off, sniffing and trying to repair your pride. Donatello, to his credit, pursed his lips to try and hide his smile. You turned and walked back to the stool, trying to walk straight but still veering slightly to the side. You sat down and looked at Donnie, who walked over, holding a black plastic tray. 

You sat behind the motorcycle, beside you, and moved the tray underneath the bike. 

"If you don't mind, could you help me turn this over?" He asked you, glancing up at you. 

"Yeah, sure," You said, happy that you could actually help somehow. 

You stood and moved beside him, listening as he directed you to where you needed to be. Together, you lifted the motorcycle off of the stand and managed to flip it around. You nodded your head in tune to the song that was playing now, an upbeat rock tune that reminded you of Paramore. As you struggled to set it down on the stand again, you heard a splashing sound and Donnie swore. You looked at him over the bike curiously, and he shot you a nervous smile. 

"The oil is leaking." 

You looked down - your jeans were splattered with dark brown liquid that was streaming out of the bottom of the bike. Donnie had slipped the tray over, which had caught most of it, but the first splash had missed the tray and hit the ground and you. You laughed, partly amused at how embarrassed Donnie looked and amused at the spill in general. You felt bad that you had ruined April's jeans, but you were pretty sure that she would understand. And if not, you could probably buy her a new pair. 

"I'm sorry," Donatello said with a grin, your laughter contagious, "I didn't know what was going to happen." 

"No, no, it's fine," you snickered, " _Oil_ just have to deal with it." 

Donnie opened his mouth to say something, and then he paused, your pun registering with him, and he shook his head, suppressing his laughter. "That was  _horrible._ " he said, still shaking his head, "I don't even think Mikey could have come up with something that horrible." 

You grinned cheekily at him, "Puns are always the best when they're the worst." 

Donnie shook his head, grinning, and knelt down underneath the bike. You crouched, watching as he shook the bike a little to make sure all the oil was out. The tray was pretty full and almost sloshed over when he pulled it towards him. You stood and walked around, crouching beside Donnie to look at the oil. You didn't think that it looked weird, but Donnie murmured, "Aha, that's why," under his breath. 

He looked really focused now, and you didn't really want to bother him, so you just crouched there awkwardly, watching as he stood and started grabbing some things. He glanced over his shoulder at you and smiled a little. 

"Can you grab me the large black container of oil? It's near the door." 

"Yeah sure," you said, happy to have something to do. 

You got up and walked over to the door, frowning a little as you looked. You smiled, recognizing the song  You finally spotted it near the corner and you walked over. You paused, eyeing a staff with purple wrapped around the middle. You pursed your lips and glanced over your shoulder at Donnie, who was busy grabbing some tools. You grinned and grabbed the staff, twirling it around (badly) and spinning. 

"ON GUARD." You said, pointing the staff at him. 

Donnie straightened up and glanced over at you curiously, frowning a little. He blinked, taking in the fact that you had his staff pointed at him and a dumb grin on your face. He shook his head and quirked a brow at you. 

"Do you even know how to use that?" He asked, crossing his arms. 

"Uhh... yes?" You said, tilting your head to the side. 

"Prove it." He said, walking over to you, arms still crossed. "Just, uh, be careful." He added hastily. 

You paused for a moment, unsure of where to go from here. After a moment, you cleared your throat and straightened, twirling it awkwardly in between your hands. You tried to spin it behind your back but you caught your shin and swore. You held it back out in front of you, pointing at Donnie and grinning. 

"See?" You said, pursing your lips and raising your eyebrows in a challenging way.

"Oh wow. I'm so scared." Donnie said flatly. 

"Wow. You didn't even try to hide your sarcasm. That hurts." You said, shaking your head. 

Donnie shook his head, laughing and uncrossing his arms, "Here. Let me show you at least how to hold it." 

You lowered your arms as he stood in front of you, his voice soft as he moved your grip, "Here. If you hold it like this you have more room to move in. If you hold it too far up, you won't be able to recover as fast." 

You nodded, trying to focus on what he said. His hand lingered on yours, and your skin tingled. You glanced up at him, meeting his warm gaze for a second. Your mouth went dry, and you knew that you were staring too long, but you couldn't break the eye contact for the life of you. The music in the background seemed to suddenly get louder as you stood frozen. 

_Could you? I got too much on my mind right now_   
_I ain't got the time to get you Saint Laurent down_   
_Could you? I got too much on my mind right now_   
_Time to hit the rodeo, give my baby 30 thou'_

You frowned, momentarily distracted, "Wait. You like Post Malone?" 

"What? Oh. Um. No. Mikey just really likes this song." Donnie pulled his hand away from yours, cheeks flushing, and the moment was gone. 

You stood there, awkwardly holding the staff, partially regretting saying anything. As the song bumped in the background, you returned the staff to where you found it, and grabbed the oil. The rest of what you figured out to be an oil change went by awkwardly after that. You helped a little bit, mostly holding tools and handing them to Donnie when he needed them. Once he was done, he rubbed his hands together and grinned at you. 

"Now, I just need to fix his tires, and then it'll be good to go! I just want to know how the shell Raph got gravel in his oil." 

You smiled, trying to pretend that you understood what was happening. Donnie stood up, stretched, and started tidying up. You helped as much as you could, but you had no idea where things went, and you were pretty sure that you weren't helping at all. Donnie kept quietly moving the things that you put away, and eventually you just handed him things. Once it was cleaner, Donnie shot you an apologetic smile. 

"Those jeans are probably ruined." 

You glanced down; you had forgotten about them. The oil had started to dry stiff, and the jeans were definitely unsaveable. You shrugged and smiled at him. 

"I'm sure April will understand," You said, "Besides, I'm sure that I'll have something else soon." 

Donnie, who had turned back to the bike, glanced over at you. He frowned a little, noticing something in your tone, "What's wrong?" He asked gently. 

You blinked, intending to brush things off but instead saying, "I don't want anything bad to happen to them because of me." 

Donnie turned to face you and walked a little closer, his voice soft, "Hey, don't worry. It'll be alright. Mikey's reckless and Casey is.. well, human Raph. But they wouldn't do anything that would endanger April." 

You nodded, not really feeling better but also not super comfortable with the comfort. You appreciated it, but you still felt like you were responsible if something happened, and with how kind April had been to you right off the bat, you didn't want her to get hurt in return. Donnie seemed to sense your discomfort, but thankfully he changed the subject. 

"I showed you where the bathrooms are, right?" 

You nodded, and he said, "Okay, good. I know you'll probably want to have a shower here soon, once you have a change of clothes of course." 

You smiled; he was right. You were dying for a shower. Absolutely dying. You were sure that, even though it seemed like Donnie had kept you pretty clean when you were passed out, you weren't really the sweetest flower in terms of smell. Perhaps the sewer smell would mask it for a little bit longer. Donnie pursed his lips as an awkward silence fell. You started to slowly spin around on the chair, trying to think of something to say. After a moment, Donnie said, 

"Are you hungry?" 

"Yeah," You said, still spinning. 

"Let's go and get some food," Donnie ventured, and you nodded, thankful for the excuse to leave. 

Donnie grabbed a small remote and turned the music off. As the two of you left the room, Donnie turned the lights off behind you. The two of you walked down into the living area. Raphael walked into the lair, giving you two a surly look. 

"Don," He grunted, walking over, "How's my bike?" 

"Well, there was gravel in the oil." Donnie said, giving Raphael a pointed look, "I changed it. Now I just have to fix the tires. Everything else seems fine. I think the probably was mostly the oil. It should be ready to go tomorrow night." 

Raphael grunted his thanks, nodding and walking past you two into the kitchen area. He filled a glass with water and chugged it. You glanced over at Donnie, who just shook his head and waved for you to go on. You walked towards the table and perched on the side of it, trying to ignore the look that Raph gave you. Donnie grabbed some cold pizza from the fridge and handed a piece to you. You took it happily. Raph reached over and grabbed two pieces and walked off, heading upstairs. Donnie mouthed out an apology to you. You waved it off and munched happily on the pizza. It was a good thing that you liked pizza, because you were sure that that was most of what you were going to be eating down here. 

You chatted with Donnie while eating. You learned a little bit about his life, and you felt yourself feeling a little... bad for them. Their entire life, all that they had had was each other and Splinter. Once April and Casey came into the picture, their family got a little bigger, but they would never be able to function in society outside of the shadows. Donnie said that they were pretty good with it - after all, they didn't know any different, so as Donnie put it, "We've never known any different, so we have nothing to mourn." 

You still felt bad. You had a new fondness for them, too, especially since you were in their boat now too. But you knew that you were different - you had lived on the other side of the spectrum for most of your life. And there was a chance that you could be turned back. You floated through the rest of the conversation in a haze of emotions that you couldn't bare to work out just then. About an hour or so later, you two had finished eating and chatting. Donnie kindly made an excuse and disappeared down the hall towards his lab. You watched him go, curious about his lab, but unwilling to pry. 

You sat in the kitchen for a few moments, before deciding that you were tired and wanted to try and nap. You made your way up to your room, closing the door behind you and turning the light on. You sighed and sat on your bed, staring up at the ceiling. As you closed your eyes, your hand tingled, and you thought back to when Donnie had grabbed your hand to show you how to grip the staff. You felt your cheeks warm a little, but forced yourself to push that out of your mind. He was just being nice to you. 

Right? 


	8. Exhaustion [Leonardo #1]

You guessed that you didn't really have much to do other then... maybe have a shower or something? You pursed your lips and glanced around, eyes gliding over the game consoles. You were tempted to look around, but the thought of having a nice warm shower possessed your thoughts relentlessly. You headed towards the bathroom eagerly, your skin prickling the more that you thought about the warm water washing over you. As you headed into the bathroom, you sighed softly. Before all of this had happened, you used to live in baths. They were where you were at your calmest. You felt a little uncomfortable with having a bath yet, so you decided that a shower was good enough. 

You closed the door behind you and flicked the lights on. You turned towards the mirror, biting the inside of your cheek. You hadn't really had much of a chance until now to take a look at the changes that had been done to you. You lifted a hand and gently ran your fingers over the gills on your cheeks - Jesus, that was so weird. Besides the green skin, because that was a whole other can of worms right there. Your eyes had changed, and this was the first time that you were able to actually look at them. Once hazel, your eyes were now a brilliant violet color that seemed almost metallic in the light. That was trippy to you. The contrast between your eyes and skin were pretty vast, but you found that the more that you actually dissected the changes, the less they were really... that horrifying. 

You actually sort of liked your eyes, at least. 

Your hair was the same, thankfully, the soft auburn color a little dull due to not having been properly washed in a while. That reminded you - did they have shampoo? I mean, they didn't really have hair, but Splinter did. Your lips quirked as you peered behind the closed shower curtain - there was a surprising amount of hair care products. You blinked - three different shampoos and conditioners, three different body washes and 5 loofas. Well, at least you weren't going to be lacking. It crossed your mind that perhaps you should ask before using it, but you doubted that it would really be a bad idea. Besides, you doubted that they were using the lavender honey ones. Why they had them in the first place, you had no idea. 

Straightening, you started to peel your clothing off, folding them and placing them on top of the toilet seat for when you were done. You shivered a little - it was cool in there. You started the shower, letting the water heat up, and looked at yourself in the mirror. You had webs between your fingers and toes ( _that_ was going to take some serious getting used to), you still had pink nipples (you didn't know why that relieved you), and you were totally hairless on your body. Not that you were really complaining, but it was just... weird to look at yourself, green and totally smooth. Your downstairs seemed the same, despite being now green and hairless, and when you turned to look at your ass, you were relieved that there was no tail. 

You sighed a little. The more that you stared, the less outrageous this all seemed. You stared at yourself as the mirror fogged up. It wasn't until you were totally blurred that you looked away and stepped into the shower, letting out a low moan as the warm water hit your skin. God  _damn_ that felt good. You closed your eyes and tilted your head, letting the water run over your face and down your body. For a moment, you let yourself think that this was a bizarre dream. This wasn't real. You were at home in your own bathroom, taking a shower. You had just had the weirdest dream, and now you were taking a shower to clear your mind. 

You took your time, letting yourself relax. Eventually, you rubbed your hands over your face and opened your eyes, sighing a little as the fantasy was destroyed. You were in a bathroom in the lair of mutant turtles and a rat. You were now this amphibian thing. And there were dangerous people after you.  _Wonderful._

You grabbed the lavender honey shampoo and conditioner and started washing your hair. This stuff smelled really, really good. And it was a pretty strong scent, too. Once you were done, clean and warm, you let yourself pause for another few moments under the spray before turning the water off. You remembered that you had failed to make sure that they had towels. Damn. Just your luck, they probably didn't have any. As you peered in, however, you noticed something new. 

There was a blue towel folded up on the corner of the sink, along with a mug of what looked like steaming tea. You blinked, mind racing. First of all, who had come into the bathroom? Why hadn't you heard them? Who was it? Second of all,  _that was... sweet of whoever it was._ You cautiously stepped out of the tub and grabbed the towel. It was warm, like it had just been pulled from the dryer. Perplexed, you wrapped the fabric around your body and sniffed curiously at the beverage. It smelled like a sweet black tea. You took an experimental sip. Yep. It was really good, too. You closed your eyes and took another, longer sip, sighing as the warm liquid calmed your mind and nerves. 

You slowly dried your skin and got dressed again, already feeling 100 times better. As you pulled your shirt over your head and tied your wet hair in a knot at the base of your neck, you ran your tongue over your teeth.  _How long had it been since you had brushed your teeth?_ You shuddered and looked around for something, anything. Thankfully, underneath the sink there was a bottle of mouthwash. You quickly took a mouthful and swished it around. It wasn't as good as brushing, but it would have to do. 

You spit and rinsed your mouth with water from the sink and straightened. You felt totally refreshed. Folding the towel up, you debated leaving it in the bathroom, but you decided you would just take it into the bedroom with you. It was easier, and that way you had a towel for your showers. Grabbing your tea and heading to the door, you wondered if they had a laundry machine. Maybe April did?

You opened the door and stepped out, taking a sip of your tea. As you closed the door behind you, you paused. You heard the murmur of voices coming from the living area. You peered over the railing curiously - Leonardo had returned. He was talking in a low voice to Splinter, who was perched on the couch. You could only hear snippets of the conversation, but what you heard made your stomach drop. 

"...everywhere. I couldn't even get close. All...... the roof." 

"This is not good.. Were you seen?" 

"....most, but no. It was a close thing, though. I saw Karai." 

"Probably scouting for her father." 

".... and Mikey are okay." 

"Mmm." 

You pulled away. From what you heard, you guessed that they were still looking for you. You walked quietly to your bedroom, closing the door behind you. Your tea was suddenly too sweet, the room too cold. You walked to your bed and sat down, tossing the towel on the foot of the bed and placing the mug of tea on the ground by your bed.

You closed your eyes, sitting quietly and letting self-pity wash over you for a few moments. How could your life turn upside down so fast? It was like something from a B rated movie. Definitely not something that could happen to you, yet here you were, having... it happen to you. You tried to calm your breathing as your mind raced. What about Mikey, Casey and April? Were they okay? You chewed the inside of your cheek. 

A knock at your door made you jump about a foot in the air. Jolted from your thoughts, your eyes snapped open and you called, hopefully calmly, "Come in!" 

The door slowly opened and Leonardo poked his head in, "Hey. I need to talk to you for a moment. Is here okay?" 

You nodded and beckoned him in, standing from the bed and adjusting your shirt, "Yeah. What's up?" 

Leonardo gently closed the door behind him and turned, expression unreadable as he looked at you. He was silent for a moment before speaking, his voice soft and firm. 

"Baxter and the Foot are still looking for you. They've shut the laboratory down and it looks like they're emptying it out." 

You blinked, then asked, "The foot?" 

"They're a group of highly trained ninjas that work for the Shredder." 

You suddenly had a flashback to when you were hiding in the lab and saw Baxter walking in with those ninjas flanking him. That must have been The Foot. But as for this Shredder guy.. you had only heard a little bit, and you really didn't want to hear more. He sounded like a high functioning psychopath that needed to be locked up if the people working for him were any indication. 

Leonardo continued on after a brief pause, "There's a chance that we have the upper hand. You threw a wrench in their plans by stealing their emails and coming to find us. They're breaking apart, trying to cover their tracks and move the operation. However, while that may give us a little bit more time, I'm sure that it's pissed Shredder off. When he does rally together, it's not going to be pretty or easy. We need to get you trained and ready. This is your battle now." 

He shot you an almost apologetic smile, then said, "It's not going to be easy work." 

"I know," You said softly. You weren't going to let yourself bring their family anymore grief. You knew that you had to help them, and you were more than ready. 

Leonardo smiled a little bit, "Alright then. Are you feeling up to starting tonight?" 

You nodded your head, face determined. The sooner the better, you thought. You weren't out of shape by any means, but you already knew that you were basically a child compared to these guys. You had to bring it, and the more time that you had, the better. Leonardo smiled a little more. 

"Good. We can wait a little bit until Mikey and April come back. You'll need more comfortable clothing, and we don't really have anything here that will fit you." You nodded your head. 

Leonardo's gaze wandered the room and landed on the mug of tea and the towel, lips quirking into an almost shy smile, "Was the tea alright?" 

You blinked; that was him? "Uh, yeah, it was, thank you," you stammered, "I really appreciate it. I didn't know that you guys had tea." 

Leo laughed a little, "Yeah, you've mostly just seen the pizza. We have more stuff, surprisingly. If you'd like another mug, I can show you where everything is." 

You nodded, still feeling tense but starting to unwind a little.The knowledge that you were going to be able to actually  _do_ something soon was helping you cope. You were thankful for Leonardo offering his time for you that night, and you knew that you weren't going to be easy to train. You had little to no background training other than a little bit of martial arts and some yoga. You were determined, though, and you hoped that that made all the difference. 

You followed Leonardo out of the bedroom and down into the kitchen. He gave you a little mini tour of everything that  _wasn't_ pizza. They had a stock of water bottle flats, a surprising amount of different teas, lots of nonperishable food items and lots of cereal. They had fresh milk, too. He filled the kettle with water from the sink and turned it on, turning to you and leaning against the counter, arms crossed. 

"So," He said, brown eyes meeting yours, "Are you settling in alright?" 

He seemed genuinely curious, "Yeah, as alright as I can really be with everything going on. I just wanted to thank you guys for being so great. I know that I sort of screwed up the environment here." 

Leo's eyes narrowed, and for a moment you thought that you had said something wrong, "Has Raph done anything to make you feel like you're not welcome?" 

You blinked, then hurriedly said, "No, no, nothing like that. I mean, he hasn't really been super warm, but I can't blame him. I am a stranger. I just generally feel bad. I didn't want to bring all of this trouble onto you - I just wanted to warn you, I guess." You glanced at the ground, suddenly shy. 

You heard the kettle bubble behind Leonardo, breaking the silence that had fallen between you two. After a moment, you glanced up to see Leonardo's brown eyes searching your face, face unreadable. After a moment, he said softly, "Thank you for that. You gave us the upper hand. Who knows what would have happened if we hadn't know? We knew that something was coming, but we didn't know anything else." 

You shifted shyly, his gaze making your cheeks flush. You mumbled something under your breath as he turned around, pouring tea for you two. You quietly sat at the table, thanking him as he set your tea on the table. He took a seat across from you and regarded you over his tea. You looked back at him, wondering what he was thinking. 

"What sort of music do you like?" Leo asked all of a sudden. 

You paused for a moment, processing the question, then shook your head slightly, "Oh, uh, music? Well, I like Indie and Alternative music. Mostly softer stuff, but I also like some rock. What about you?" 

Leo took a sip of his tea, "I like soft rock." 

"What's your favorite song?" You asked curiously, trying to guess before he told you. 

He pondered the question for a second, then said, "I've been listening to Disarm by the Smashing Pumpkins a lot. Do you listen to any of their stuff?" 

You took a sip of your tea than nodded, "Yeah. I like that song. I haven't heard it in a while. I used to be able to play it on guitar." 

Leo's eyes twinkled, "You play guitar?" 

"Not a whole lot anymore. I can play a few songs still, but I'm really rusty," You said, smiling a little. 

"You should get back into playing," He said matter-of-factly. 

You nodded, lips quirking, "I guess so. I'll have to get a guitar." 

Leo took another sip of his tea, eyeing you over his cup, than said, "Mikey has a few guitars. He has 2 acoustic an an electric. Maybe he'll let you play one." 

You felt yourself perk up a little, "Yeah, maybe," you said, taking another sip of your tea. 

The two of you shared a soft conversation, asking little things about each other to pass the time. You found that you actually liked Leo's company. He was very down to earth and interesting to talk to - his voice was soft and melodic. You barely noticed how much time had passed, but your conversation was halted by a commotion at the front door. Leo frowned and peered over. You turned, watching as Casey pushed through the door. 

"I'm hoooooome!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that this one was a little short, but with Leonardo, I personally feel like connection to him is more of just.. getting to know your character. Little things here and there. Don't worry, I have a loooooot more planned for this particular connection! Stay tuned all!


	9. Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still going to be doing the Michelangelo filler chapter, don't worry! But this is going to make it a little easier and better to read. This is important information for the character, not just the character's interest, so it's going to be separate. Mikey's chapter is coming after this, I just want this to be as organized as possible!

You sat in the living room, hands clasped in your lap. They were back, and it seemed like everything was fine. Well, they were all okay and had managed to get  _some_ of your stuff out without being spotted. April had two bags for you, one filled with as much clothing as she could grab, and the other filled with blankets and toiletries. You were  _extremely_ thankful for that. But now, everyone was gathered in the living room to touch base. 

So far, Leonardo had surveyed that the lab was being emptied and the Foot were combing the area. Mikey, Casey and April reported that it seemed like they had already gone through your apartment. Your laptop had been smashed, the motherboard gone, and anything related to the lab had been taken too. As for surveillance, there had only been one ninja around, but he wasn't watching the apartment. He was mostly watching the area around, waiting to see if you were going to go home. They grabbed as much as they felt they could grab without being seen, and you were grateful. This was mostly all that you needed, really. 

You were mostly thankful that nobody had been seen or hurt. Raphael stood sullenly near the TV, scowling as everyone talked. Splinter sat next to you on the couch, with Donnie on the other side. Mikey sat perched on the arm of the couch beside you, Casey and April stood on the other side of the TV and Leonardo stood in front of the TV. Silence fell once everyone had reported their findings. 

Splinter broke the silence, "Leonardo, my son, what do you suggest comes next?" 

Leonardo didn't miss a beat, "We need to prepare. We have to be more careful up top, ______ needs to be trained in ninjutsu so that she can defend herself, and we need to come up with a plan of attack. Shredder is preoccupied right now trying to get his ass covered, so we have a little bit of time. Thanks to _____, we know what we are facing. We need to strike first, or at least get somewhere safe until we  _can_ strike." 

Raph's rough voice broke his brother off, "I say we get them  _now_ while they're out there, scattered. They won't be expectin' it." 

Leonardo sighed, shaking his head, "No, Raph, we  _can't_ do that. They're on alert right now, more than ever, and they  _will_ be expecting it." 

Raph growled, "They're lookin' for a human chick, not ninjas." 

Donnie broke in, voice soothing, trying to defuse the situation, "I don't think that we should try and come up with something right now. Like Leo said, we still have some time, maybe more than we had before this. I think the most important thing is making sure that _____ is trained." 

Raph rolled his eyes and looked like he was going to say something, but Splinter cut him off firmly. 

"Raphael, calm yourself. Leonardo is right. We must not act now. We are not prepared." 

Raph grumbled in the back of his throat and fell silent, glaring at Leo, who glared right back. The tension was almost suffocating. You leaned towards Mikey and whispered, "Are they always like this?" 

Mikey nodded his head and leaned closer to you, voice soft, "Ooooooh yeah. There've been times I thought they were gonna kill each other." 

You cringed a little. Jeez. 

Splinter spoke again, addressing everyone now, "For the time being, we must focus on preparing ourselves. Train _____ to the best of our abilities, and I will train her as well when I can," he shot you a small smile, "Ms. O'Neil and Mr. Jones, I suggest that the two of you be careful up top as well. You have been seen with us by the enemy and have fought along side us - you are in as much danger as we are. Perhaps, if things escalate, you should stay with us until it is safe." 

April nodded and Casey wrapped an arm protectively over her. She leaned against him, resting her head against his broad chest. You smiled a little. The group talked for a little bit longer, reinforcing their idea. They would meet again when you were a little bit better prepared and form a plan. The brothers were going to take turns watching the lab to keep tabs on the operation, and also take a quick peek around your apartment area. You wanted to say something, but you had no idea what to even say that would be relevant. So instead, you remained silent. 

Once the meeting ended, Raphael stalked up to his room, Donnie headed back to his lab after giving you a warm smile, April and Casey said their goodnights and slipped out of the lair, and Mikey jumped onto the couch when Splinter stood. You snorted in amusement as he knocked into you with his feet and apologized. Leonardo called your name and you glanced up - he stood with Splinter off to the side and waved you over. You stood and laughed as Mikey kicked at your calf playfully. You stuck your tongue out at him and walked over to Leo. 

"We're going to get you started on your training tonight. You'll be with me tonight, and tomorrow Splinter will start training you some basics. We're all going to take turns to help make things go by hopefully faster." Leo explained to you. 

You nodded and looked at Splinter as he spoke, "If you stay determined and open, I am sure that you will have no problems in the way of the ninja." He encouraged. 

You smiled, heart fluttering fondly at his words, "Thank you. I promise you that I will do everything that I can." 

Splinter reached out and gently squeezed your arm, then bid you goodnight. He left for his room, leaving you and Leo alone. You could hear the sound of Mikey booting up the XBox behind you, making an excited noise. You smiled a little. 

"Alright, I'll give you a moment to change into something that'll be a littler more comfortable to train in," Leo said firmly, "Meet me in the dojo in 10 minutes." 

You nodded, resisting the urge to say, 'yes sir'. You grabbed your bags and shuffled up to your room, closing the door and turning the light on. You shuffled through your bags, sighing happily as you grabbed out a pair of athletic shorts and a tank top. April had grabbed most of your clothing in one go, thankfully. You changed quickly, tying your hair up in a messy bun. You left your bedroom and walked into the dojo, knocking three times softly before entering. 

The room was set up the same, and it started out the same as earlier. This time, though, there was more focus on employing those breathing techniques in more complicated yoga poses. Leo said something about it teaching you to be able to relax and be calm in any situation. You guessed it would make more sense further into training because right now you doubted that you were going to be doing downward dog in a fight. 

Almost 2 hours later, when you were sweating and panting, Leonardo called it a night. He smiled at you and bid you goodnight, telling you to get some rest for tomorrow. 

"You'll need it," he added as you left. 

You tried to force yourself to be excited, but you were so exhausted and sore just from that that you didn't have high hopes for tomorrow. Oh well. You knew that there was nothing that you could do except go and shower and get some rest. You headed into the bathroom, stopping in your room to grab a towel, pj's and a few other things. You had a quick shower (you were way too tired to stay in for longer than needed). You washed up and dried off, changing into a pair of comic book boxers and an old grey college shirt that was a little too big for you still. 

Grabbing your things, you headed back to your bedroom, tossing things back into your bags and throwing yourself onto your bed. 

Perhaps tomorrow would be easier. 


	10. Competition [Michelangelo #1]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I forgot to add (I think I forgot to add?) If you're unsure about how I've planned out the structure of this story, let me clear it up really quick. If you've already figured it out, skip this! So the way I have it planned is that the stories with [character # whatever] are inserts that you can choose to direct the story the way that you want. You don't have to read all of them if you don't want to - you can just follow the story through the character that you want. Does that make sense?? If you guys have any questions, please message me! I feel like I might be making it more confusing hahaha

You woke up from a dead sleep craving pizza. The room was pitch black, and you were suddenly wide awake. You had no idea what time it was, but you wanted pizza. Pushing the blankets off of you (you were so happy that April had grabbed your three fluffiest ones) you yawned and stretched, scratching your neck as you stumbled to the door. Exiting, you let your eyes adjust to the dim light coming from the living room. As you walked down to the main floor, you noticed Mikey was still playing the XBox where you left him earlier. You had no idea what time it was, but you knew that it was late. 

However, you smelled fresh pizza.  _Hot and fresh_ pizza, not leftovers. You followed your nose over to Mikey, who had a box of pizza in front of him. You looked up at the screen - he was playing minecraft. At least the game was different from earlier - he had been playing COD. 

"Hey. Want some pizza?" Mikey offered cheerfully without looking at you. 

You grinned a little and nodded, sitting beside him and grabbing a piece. It was a meat pizza, one of your favorites. You munched happily, watching as he intently slammed blocks onto something. Frowning, you asked, "What are you building?" 

You shot you a sudden grin and zoomed out. You nearly choked on your pizza. It was a huge, almost completed wall of Nicholas Cage. It was really well done, and you didn't even want to think about how much time it took. He looked very very proud of himself, and you had to hand it to him; it was pretty impressive. 

"I don't even know what to say," You said, laughing. 

Mikey grinned wider, "Yeah, I have that affect on girls." 

You laughed, shaking your head and taking another bite of the pizza, stomach gurgling happily. 

"Wanna play?" Mikey asked, reaching out and grabbing another controller and holding it out to you. 

"Sure," You said. You weren't even slightly tired anymore, and it had been a while since you had gamed. Why not? 

You turned the controller on and joined his server. You shook your head, staring at the wall of Nicholas Cage. You shook your head.

"How long did it take you to do this?" You asked, letting out a soft laugh of disbelief. 

You floated your character closer, inspecting the wall closer. Mikey just grinned and said, "Way too long." 

You grabbed another piece of pizza, and the Mikey asked, "Do you want to play Call of Duty or something? Minecraft is a little boring for a two player." 

"Hmmm," You hummed, leaning forwards and peering at their games, "Oooh, you have Smash Bros?" You said, glancing over your shoulder at Mikey and grinning. 

"Are you sure you want to play that? I'm pretty sure that I am  _the_ best. I wouldn't want you to feel bad when you lose miserably," Mikey said, smirking at you. 

"Oh, is that a challenge?" You shot back, narrowing your eyes at him, "Bring it on, green dude." 

Mikey cracked a dazzling grin and booted the game up. You munched away at the pizza, feeling more at home in that moment than you had this entire time. Mikey was extremely easy to talk to and to joke with, and he had this... charisma that drew you to him like a moth to a flame. You hadn't played Smash Bros in years, let alone any sort of video game, but your competitive streak had won out. Besides, it couldn't be that hard, right? It wasn't like you had never played that game before. It had just been a while. 

Mikey looked over at you and spoke in a voice that mimicked a horror movie trailer narrator, "Choose your player." 

You had to laugh. As you chose your character (Kirby) and he chose his (Sonic), you grabbed another piece of pizza. There were only two more pieces left and for a moment you felt bad, but Mikey just glanced at the box and said, "There's more on the kitchen table, dude." 

You nodded, smiling, and turned your attention to the game. And... well... you lost pretty miserably the first 2 rounds, but Mikey's gloating got to you, and the two of you ended up playing 15 more rounds. You hadn't even noticed how long you had been sitting there until you heard a voice behind you. 

"How long have you guys been up?" 

You glanced over your shoulder to see Donnie standing there, trying to suppress a smile. His arms were crossed over his chest and his mask was off, but you knew it was him. He had a fairly distinct voice. You grinned sheepishly and Mikey chidded. 

"Not that long!" 

Donnie shook his head, "It's almost 4 in the morning. _____ needs to get some sleep." 

"Yeah, yeah, she will," Mikey said, barely listening to Donnie, intent on beating your character. 

You had managed to tie the game with Mikey, something that you were pretty proud of. You heard Donnie laugh and say, "Well, just remember to let her get some sleep." 

"Yeah, yeah, will do dad," Mikey said, furiously mashing the buttons. 

You nibbled the inside of your cheek, mashing the buttons just as furiously. After a few intense moments, you finally blasted his character out of the screen, and won. You jumped, letting out a victory squeal, and turned, sticking your tongue out at Mikey. 

"So, you're the best, huh? Well, ya lost!" 

Mikey shook his head, appearing upset, but his eyes twinkled as he said, "I think you cheated." 

You spluttered, "What? No way! I didn't cheat! I beat you fair and square!" 

Mikey pursed his lips, shaking his head, "Nah. Ya cheated." 

You pursed your lips right back at him, hands crossed over your chest, "You know what I think? I think that you're a sore loser." 

Mikey shook his head, suppressing a grin, "No way." 

You grinned, "Yeah way." 

 "No way." 

"Yeah way." 

"No way." 

The banter continued without a hitch for a few moments, until you finally got tired of it and threw a crust at Mikey. Mikey opened his mouth and caught the bread, chewing with a boyish grin on his face. You spluttered, laughing and shaking your head. Mikey gulped the bread down and grinned, nose wrinkling. 

"You're such a goof," You said eyes twinkling. 

Mikey leaned forwards and opened his mouth to say something, but Donnie's voice floated down from the rooms, "Mikey. Let ______ sleep." 

Mikey pouted, shaking his head and calling over his shoulder, "Yeah yeah, got it dad." 

He shook his head and leaned forwards, turning the system and TV off. You stretched, suppressing a yawn as the living room was plunged into darkness. You blinked, trying to adjust to the lack of light. You felt a hand gently caressing your arm and pulling you up. You could hear Mikey yawn in front of you as he gently guided you through the living room. You let him lead you, your body heavy with sudden exhaustion. Yawning again, you stumbled as you reached the stairs up to the bedrooms. All of a sudden, you saw a flash of light and shut your eyes, groaning and covering them with your free hand. 

Mikey laughed apologetically, "Sorry! I should have warned you! You okay?" 

You peeled your eyes open, the light harsh but quickly getting better. Once your eyes focused, you saw Mikey leaning in, eyes clouding with concern. He had really pretty brown eyes - you hadn't noticed that before now, with his face close to yours. You noticed that he had dark green freckles dusting across his cheeks and nose. You blinked for a second, throat dry. His eyes were a soft caramel color, and.. 

"____..? You good?" 

You jolted out of your thoughts and cleared your throat, stuttering, "Wha? Oh yeah, y-yeah I'm fine! Sorry!" You laughed nervously, reaching up and tucking a strand of hair behind your left ear. 

"You look exhausted. Sorry for keeping you up! All that cheating must have taken it outta ya." He grinned crookedly at you, brown eyes glinting. 

You shook your head, sighing, lips tugging up in a smile, "Yeah, sure, you can keep saying that I cheated. Whatever helps you sleep at night." 

Mikey shook his head and turned, walking up the stairs. He still held your arm gently, leading you up, and you didn't mind. As you walked into the hall, you saw Donnie's head poking out of the far bedroom. You looked down, feeling a little like a chastised kid. Donnie shook his head and retreated back into the bedroom, a smile flitting across his lips as the door closed. Mikey stopped in front of your room and let his hand fall from your arm. He glanced down, suddenly shy, and your lips quirked in another little smile. 

"Goodnight," You said, smiling at him and turning, walking into the bedroom. 

As you closed the door behind you, you glanced back at Mikey. He watched as you closed the door, a soft little grin on his face that made your heart stutter. You closed the door and suppressed a yawn, grinning. You turned and fell into bed, chocolate eyes swimming behind your lids as you fell asleep. 


	11. Engines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks for all of the lovely comments and your support! I'm so happy that you're all enjoying this as much as I am! Here's to you guys!

The morning came way too early for your taste. It felt like you had barely fallen asleep when the lights were turned on and a cheery voice rang out, "______! Wake up!" 

Groaning, you peeled your eyes open and winced, the light piercing your eyes. You could see Mikey standing in the doorway, grinning at you and holding a cup of what you assumed to be coffee. You shot him a crooked smile, pushing yourself up into a sitting position and yawning. 

"Here," Mikey said, walking over to you and handing you the mug, "Leo said you might appreciate this." 

You took the mug and smiled gratefully at Mikey, sipping the coffee and sighing happily as the warmth trickled down your throat. As you nursed your drink, Mikey leaned against the wall and smiled at you, "You're so gonna get your ass kicked today." 

You snorted, shaking your head and gulping the coffee. Mikey snickered and said, "I bet you an extra large pepperoni and bacon pizza that you're not going to be able to make it through today." 

You arched an eyebrow at Mikey, lowering the mug of coffee and opening your mouth to retort. Before you could speak, Leo swung through the open door and shot you a smile. 

"Hey, you're awake. Are you about ready? I'll give you a few more minutes, and then when you're done meet me in the meditation room." He left. 

You suppressed a sigh and downed the rest of the coffee. Mikey stood there silently for a moment, then held his hands out to take your now empty mug. You hesitated for a moment, then handed it over to him and smiled. 

"Thanks," you said, standing and stretching as the last big of sleep fog dissipated. 

"That bet still stands," Mikey said, voice smug. 

You rolled your eyes and pursed your lips, trying not to smirk, "Hmm, I don't know. You don't seem to be the kind that takes losing well." 

Mikey narrowed his eyes playfully and was about to comment, but Leo's voice floated up, "Mikey. Let her change, please." 

Mikey turned and walked out of the room, pausing in the doorway to glance over his shoulder and mouthed out, "Pizza." 

You laughed, shaking your head and kicking the door shut. You stretched, your back popping and lungs filling with air. You yawned again, turning to your pile of clothing. You grabbed a pair of black athletic shorts and a purple tank top. It was a little chilly, so you grabbed a grey knit sweater and shrugged it on, suppressing another yawn. You grabbed your hair brush and tucked it up into a messy bun, tossing the brush on your bed when you were done. You took a few moments to stretch, then left the bedroom, flicking the light off behind you. 

Wrapping the sweater closer around your body, you padded down into the living area, suppressing a yawn. The door to the meditation room was propped open, and you noticed the living area was moved around. There was a variety of props scattered around the area. You frowned a little and scanned the area - you couldn't see anyone.  _Huh._ You walked into the meditation room to see Leo sitting cross legged in the middle, eyes closed and back straight. He didn't move when you entered. 

You glanced over your shoulder and said softly, "What's all of that about?" 

Leo spoke without opening his eyes or moving, "You'll see in a little bit. Take a seat. Do you remember what we did last night?" 

You plopped yourself onto the mats, crossing your legs and straightening your back, "Sort of. I remember a lot of burning, and so does my legs." 

Leo's lips quirked into an amused smirk, "Fair enough. We're going to be doing that same flow again, only this time it's the warm up to everything else planned. Do you think that you can keep up?" 

You didn't miss the teasing lilt to Leo's voice, and your eyes narrowed, "Of course. It'll take more than a few sore limbs to bring me down, turtle-dude." 

Leo shook his head softly, definitely smiling this time, "Alright then. Game on, gill girl." 

You scowled at the nickname, but before you could retort, he opened his eyes and stood, bowing as Master Splinter padded into the room. He smiled kindly at you, nodding his head and muttering a greeting. Leo straightened, his tone firm and important. 

"Good morning, sensei." 

"Good morning, my son. Good morning, ____. I trust you had a good night?" 

You smiled and nodded, "A little early, but it was good none the less." 

Splinter let out a hoarse little chuckle, then addressed Leo, "Once you are finished warming her up, I wish to take over for a little." 

Leonardo bowed his head, agreeing, and watched as Splinter slipped out of the room. Leo closed the door behind him and turned back to you, posture calm and relaxed again. You were starting to see the two sides to this particular guy. As your warm up started, you cringed as your body groaned in response. By the time that you were done, roughly an hour later, you were pouring sweat and sure that you stunk. Leonardo laughed, eyes sparkling with amusement. 

"Are you going to be okay to keep going?" 

You rolled your eyes - he was definitely teasing you. You straightened, panting, and pushed the hair from your sweaty face, "Shut up. I'm fine. I just need some water." 

Leo grinned, eyes dancing as he said, "Yeah, okay. If you're sure. You know, there's no shame in saying that you need to take a--" 

You cut him off by smacking his arm, scowling at him. The smack caught him by surprise, but it only lasted a second and he laughed, shaking his head like you were simply a feisty kitten. You had to resist the urge to hiss at him as you turned and stalked from the room. The cool air that had made you grab a sweater earlier was now a blessing. You had long since shed the sweater and your clothes stuck to your skin. You left the sweater in the room, (it was the last thing on your mind) and you headed towards the fridge. You grabbed a cold bottle of water and chugged it, panting after it was emptied. You refilled the water bottle and took a few more sips, leaning against the counter. 

You caught Leo's amused look from across the living room and you stuck your tongue out at him. Mikey sauntered into the kitchen, opening the fridge door and grabbing a piece of cool pizza. He turned and looked you up and down, grinning. 

"Wow. Lookin' hot. Digging the whole 'dying but too cool to admit it' look." 

You grabbed a roll of paper towel from behind you and pitched it at Mikey, scowling at him. He laughed and easily dodged it, prancing towards the TV. Master Splinter stood near one of the wooden posts, beckoning you over with his fingers. You took the bottle of water with you and walked over, trying to hide how sore you were. You were slender and got to the gym or yoga mat a few times a week, but you were starting to see that you were still out of shape. Your stamina  _sucked_. 

As Master Splinter started to explain the art of ninjutsu, and a few other things that you had  _no_ idea about, you were suddenly very aware of how out in the open you were. At least with Leo, you were the only two in the room. Out here, Leo sat watching you, Mikey watched from the couch, and Donnie leaned over the rail on the upper floor. The only one missing was Raph - you didn't see him that often, you mused. 

Your shyness lasted only until Splinter started to actually put you to work. You had expected him to be gentle with you, as he had been until then, but he was tougher even than Leo. You guessed you should have expected that - he was, after all, the one who trained them. But with every wack from his staff and every sharp instruction, you felt your resolve flutter, and for a few moments, you wondered whether or not you were cut out for this. You pushed yourself, though, after catching Leo's eye. He made an over exaggerated concerned look and patted the chair beside him. You scowled and, behind Splinter's back, mouthed out something pretty unlady like. Leo's eyes widened in mock outrage. 

"Leonardo, stop distracting her. _____," he whacked your legs out from under you, "Do not let yourself be distracted." 

The training seemed to go on for years. The longer you kept at it, though, the more determined you became with every shake in your muscles and every failure. By the time that Splinter told you to stop, you were almost ready to collapse, but your resolve had hardened. You were going to kill this. You had to. The amount of work that they were putting into training you pushed you to make sure that it didn't get taken for granted. You wanted to impress Splinter and yourself. And, yes, you guessed being able to protect yourself from the whole situation you were doing pretty good at forgetting would be good. 

As you turned and shuffled to the kitchen again, Leo stood and tossed you a fresh bottle of water. You muttered a soft thanks and chugged it, glancing over your shoulder at Splinter. He smiled at you and spoke, hands clasped behind his back. 

"You did well, _____, for your first training. I am impressed," you suppressed the embarrassing urge to wiggle, "We will take a break for a little bit, than we will resume at nightfall." He smiled at you and grabbed a bottle of water from himself. 

You sat down heavily across from Leo and lowered your head onto the table. Leo snickered and you straightened, eyes narrowed, "What's so funny?" 

Splinter prodded Mikey with his cane, telling him to turn on his stories, or something like that. You wondered if he was laughing at that, but he was staring at you. Donnie walked over to you, smiling a little. 

"How are you feeling?" He asked, sitting beside you. 

You suppressed a yawn, "I'm fine. Totally fine. Probably stink, but I'm fine." 

Donnie arched a brow and smiled. You reached up and ran a hand through your hair. It had fallen out of the bun from earlier and you had been too preoccupied to tie it back up. Now you regretted it. Your hair was all greasy from the sweat and you were sure that you looked like crap. You cringed a little and said, "I think I'm going to go have a shower. Is that okay?" 

They nodded and you stood, stretching and groaning at the screeches from your exhausted limbs. As you staggered up to the bathroom, a figure seemed to materialize from the shadows. Raph. He eyed you and blinked. 

"What happened to you?" 

"Training," you grunted, more focused on the shower than niceties. 

"Training for what? Mutant olympic sweating?" His tone was sharp, laced with mocking that, unlike Leo's, had nothing light about it. 

You didn't know if it was the stress of everything that had happened over the last few days finally getting to you, your exhaustion or just general annoyance, but you snarled at him, eyes narrowed. 

"Fuck off." It wasn't the most brilliant come back, but it was all that you could muster. 

Raph arched an eyebrow, his tone cooling, "That ain't any way to treat one of the people dealin' with ya." 

"What the hell does that mean?" You asked, feeling your annoyance and voice rising. 

You barely noticed that you had grabbed the attention of the other four in the living room, who now turned and watched, Leo and Donnie both poised to do damage control if things got too out of hand. Raph looked at you for a moment and snorted, turning to walk away from you. 

"Seriously, what the hell does that mean?" You asked, taking a few steps after him. 

Raph paused and glanced over his shoulder at you. He didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. His eyes flashed and before you knew it, you were in his face (well, as much as you could be since you stood about a foot under him) and spitting at him. 

"I didn't ask you to take care of me. I didn't plan on this happening. If I had know that any of this shit was going to happen to me, you know what I would have done? Called in sick. I didn't want this, I didn't mean to fuck up your world, and if I did, I'm sorry. But at least I came down and fucking warned you that someone was planning on blowing you guys to bits. You've made it clear I'm a burden, and if you want me to leave, just say so and I will." 

You paused, breathing hard, staring daggers into Raph's unreadable face. He was silent for a few moments and he shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. 

"Alright then. Back off and save your mocking comments for someone who fucking deserves it. And maybe try to keep your contempt quiet, alright?" You spun around on your heel and stormed into your bedroom, grabbing what you needed and storming into the bathroom, slamming the door behind you. You leaned against the door, eyes closed and breathing hard, waiting for your anger to dissolve. When it did, a few moments later, you suddenly felt ashamed at exploding like that. Sure, Raph wasn't really the nicest or most welcoming person, but that hadn't given you the right to snap like that in front of everyone. How would the others react? What would Splinter think? She had just blown up at one of his sons. 

You groaned and pushed yourself off of the door and started the shower, peeling your clothes off and stepping under the spray. You stood there, eyes closed, wishing that you could float down the drain with the water droplets. 

~~~~

Raph stood there silently, watching as you stormed off. He was silent, watching you storm to the bedroom, then to the bathroom. He only moved when the door slammed. He turned and saw that they had an audience. Splinter had turned back to his stories, acting much like he did when they argued between themselves. Mikey sat awkwardly on the couch, staring between Raph, the closed bathroom door and back again, Leo and Donnie stood awkwardly, blinking. 

"Well," Leo said, clapping his hands and looking around, "Looks like she's got a temper." 

Raph shrugged and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a can of soda and popping it open. He chugged half of it and turned, scowling when he saw Leo standing behind him, brown eyes narrowed in a familiar display of, 'I'm disappointed of you, bro'. 

"Do us a favor and stop antagonizing her," Leo said, mouth set in a hard line, "If you don't like her, lay off and just leave her alone. She doesn't need this." 

"No, Leo, we don't need this. And it ain't that I don't like her, it's just--" 

"Save it," Leo cut in, lifting a hand, "Just lay off her." 

Raph smacked his brothers hand away irritably and stormed into his training room, slamming the door. 

~~~~

Once you were done your shower, you loitered in the bathroom for as long as you could, dreading leaving. After you had redressed, brushed your teeth and hair twice and probably had been in there for 2 hours now, you decided that you couldn't stay in there for much longer. You gathered your things and quietly slipped from the bathroom and into your bedroom without being noticed. Or so you thought. 

You threw your things on the bed and stood there for a moment, before a knock on the door startled you. You turned as the door creaked open - Donnie poked his head in and smiled a little at you. 

"Hey. How are you feeling?" He asked softly, walking into the room and closing the door behind him. 

You smiled wanly, "Embarrassed. I shouldn't have acted like that. I owe you guys and Raph especially, an apology." 

Donnie snorted, "No. Don't. He deserved it. He's a bit of an asshole. Besides, that was nothing. You should see some of the fights that Raph and Leo get into. Actually, I'm sure that you'll get to see one here soon. They don't really go much longer than a week without a huge blowout of some sort. Splinter's sort of given up, and Mike and I know the signs. We clear out when we see them." 

You smiled, feeling a little better already, "I can see that. They're.... very different, from what I've seen so far." 

Donnie shook his head, "Oh, just you wait. Some of their fights are actually really impressive, and we've been in many battles before." 

You laughed a little, feeling the knot of shame dissipating, "Either way, I'm going to try and rein myself in. Just something about him bothered me today. I don't know what it was, he just... got to me." 

Donnie nodded solemnly, "It happens. It's just him, I swear. He has the worst people skills." 

You laughed again and tucked a piece of wet hair behind your ear. You had changed into a pair of black jeans and an old tie dye Metallica shirt that seemed to make your green skin pop uncomfortably bright. You ignored it, though, and suppressed another yawn. God, you were so tired. You hadn't been this exhausted since University finals week. 

"So what's the plan right now?" You asked, fidgeting. 

"Well, Leo's gonna wait until nightfall and then go and scout the lab. Splinter said you can take a break for a little bit, and once night falls I'm taking you topside for a little bit of training." He flashed you a grin. 

You frowned, "Is that safe?" 

Donnie nodded, eyes glittering, "Totally safe. We have... ways of getting around that you need to learn. Sooner rather than later. But for right now, just relax until then. You'll need your strength." 

You groaned, "I hate it when people say that." 

Donnie chuckled and patted your shoulder, "You'll be fine. I'm sure that you will. I'll take it easy on you." 

You swatted his arm playfully and followed him from the room. 


	12. Timelapse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thank you so much for your amazing comments and support. I'm so blessed that this story has been so positively recieved! I have so much more planned for this, so stick with me here! <3 Here comes another character choice, y'all!

Most of the time that you spent training flew by in a haze of pain and sweat. You had finally gotten used to living in the sewers, and with your frequent topside trips to the roofs for more room to train, you finally got a bearing of the time passing by. After about a week, you finally felt like you were progressing. You could hold positions without quivering and pain, you were faster on your feet, and Splinter only hit you 3 out of 5 times instead of all the time now. You were proud at how far you had come, but you didn't think that you were already ready to start sitting in on the planning. But apparently, time was running out and you were deemed to be efficient enough for the time being. 

You sat in the living room with Splinter and the four brothers one morning, nursing a cup of coffee after your morning training. Mikey sprawled out on the rest of the couch, trying to put his feet in your lap and snickering when you pushed his feet off. Leonardo sat in one of the armchairs, sipping at a mug of tea, Raphael was pacing in the kitchen and Donnie sat in the second armchair. Splinter stood in front of the TV and cleared his throat, gathering everyone's attention almost instantly. 

"My children, I believe that it is time to being our planning. We have taken up more time than we can afford, and we must begin to plan for the safety of our family," He looked at you and his voice softened, "You have trained hard, _____, and have come a long way. We will continued training you, do not worry about that, but we must begin to plan." He turned back to the rest of the room, face hardening. 

"Leonardo came to me last night with the beginnings of an idea that I believe will work. Leonardo?" 

He turned the torch to Leo, as it were, and he stood and thrust his chest out importantly, "Thank you, Sensei," A micro-bow, then, "We need to check out the area again. While we've been scouting the lab, it's been empty and as of a few days ago, there's nobody guarding the area anymore. I propose that we go and we check it out, see if they left anything." 

Leonardo looked at you, "You've worked there. You know the layout. I want you to come with us and help us look." 

You flinched a little bit and cleared your throat, "I only know the main floor and the lab. I never had the access to go anywhere else - I was never trusted enough." 

Leonardo nodded, not at all thrown off, "Alright, then you'll help us as much as you can. You still know the layout better than we do. Both April and Casey have been helping us look around, too, and somehow they managed to find out where the operation has moved to. We should go and check that out, too. So far they seem to have given up on _____'s apartment, but a few days ago when April stopped by under the guise of a concerned friend, she saw someone coming out of the room with a duffel over his shoulder. I want to check it out and see what they did, and I want ____ to come with us again and tell us if anything's missing." 

You nodded, your heart pounding with adrenaline. You were nervous, but at the same time you were excited to be actually  _doing_ something. Sure, you didn't feel ready at all, but you would have backup. Besides, you knew the basics. 

Raph threw himself in Leonardo's empty chair, throwing his legs over the arm and scowling, "She ain't ready for this." 

"We're going to split up," Leo said, ignoring Raph's comment and crossing his arms, "April and Casey are going to help. I called them last night to see if they would be in. They're going to meet us at 10 tonight. Half of us are going to meet with April at the lab and then to the apartment, and the other half are going with Casey to check out the new operation. If we can get things done fast, ideally we'll meet up--" 

"I said, she ain't ready. If shit happens, what's she supposed to do, stand there and wiggle her gills?" 

You scowled, his comment triggering a nerve, but before you could comment, Splinter spoke, "Raphael, be calm. She is as ready as we can get her under the circumstances, and we need her guidance." 

"Yeah, and I can't wiggle my gills," you muttered, adverting your eyes to the wall. 

Mikey sniggered and sat up, leaning over towards you, "Are you sure? Have you tried?" 

You smiled despite yourself, and turned to try and explain that, no you haven't tried, but Leonardo cleared his throat. You pressed your lips together like a scolded child. 

"If anything happens, April will take care of her. Now, we need to split the team." 

As you listened to them plan, you couldn't help but feel like a burden. Sure, they needed you and sure, you were better equipped for something like this, but you weren't on the same level as they were. The turtles and Splinter had been training for  _years_ and they were used to this sort of thing. April and Casey were, from what you understood, fully capable of handling themselves and used to the fast paced, dangerous life of the turtles. Your eyes unfocused slightly and Leonardo's voice washed over you, wordless mumblings that made your heart pound. You couldn't do this. How could they expect you to do this? Yeah, this might be elementary to them, but to you, this was terrifying. 

"...___? You alright?" Donnie asked. 

You started - everyone was staring at you. Donnie had leaned over, looking at you in concern. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, just tired," You stammered, cheeks heating. 

Leonardo crossed his arms, "Alright, well, as I was saying, can you think of anything that we should know about Baxter going into this?" 

You shook your head, frowning, "You guys know more than I do. All he ever was to me was a reclusive boss." 

Leo nodded and pursed his lips. As he started talking again, finalizing things, you looked longingly over at the door. You needed some fresh air, but you didn't want to draw attention to yourself by just getting up and leaving rudely. So, you waited for the meeting to end, then stood and mumbled something to Donnie about just needing some air. Not waiting for an answer, barely listening as April called to you, you headed to the door and exited the hideout. 

You leaned against the door after closing it, taking a deep breath, closing your eyes as your heart pummeled your ribs. After a moment, you pushed off and started down the sewer, heading to the manhole that Leo took you through when training rooftop. You knew that you probably shouldn't go up alone, but you were pretty confident that nobody would find you on the roof. The manhole opened up into an alley, and right beside it was a ladder that lead to the rooftop of an apartment building. Nobody was ever up there - that was why the brothers preferred that roof to train when they needed to. You were going to hop up just to get some air, collect yourself, then go back down and tell Leo that you couldn't do it. You weren't ready. 

As you reached the ladder up to the surface, your heart beat faster as you imagined the look on Leo's face. Probably disappointment, annoyance. Maybe he would chalk it up to just nerves and brush you off with some calming words. You shook your head and started up the ladder. 

You pushed the cover up and glanced around carefully to make sure nobody was there before hoisting yourself up. You put the lid back down and immediately hopped onto the ladder and pulled yourself up to the roof, taking deep breaths of the cool, crisp New York air. Nothing about it was fresh - it was polluted with humanity and always smelled like gasoline - but it cleared your head and calmed your racing heartbeat. You walked to the edge of the roof and lowered yourself, sitting with your legs dangling over the edge. Looking down at the ground below, you felt your stomach lurch - you used to be terrified of heights. Well, you still were, but with the training you were slowly starting to get used to it enough to do shit like this. 

Besides, you were so frazzled right now that you doubted that anything would really frazzle you more. 

You looked out at the New York skyline and took another deep breath, eyes stinging. Your life had just changed, changed so horribly that if someone had told you about this, you would have thought it was a poor, B-rated movie idea. But here you were, mutated and shivering on a rooftop. You looked down at your hands, fingering the webbing in between your fingers and frowned. Your green skin was illuminated oddly in the bright lights of the city, and the breeze tousled your hair over your left shoulder. You had no idea what was happening and you had no idea what you were going to do. The brothers seemed to expect that, since you had brought them the news, you were going to run in, guns blazing with them. 

You were sure that Raphael would demand that you owed them this at least, having completely upended their lives and dropping yourself on them. You smiled bitterly. You had a momentary flash of indignation and determination to prove him wrong, to just dazzle him with your strength and bask in his stunned reaction, but just as quickly as it arrived, it was gone. You were never going to be strong enough to do that, let alone probably  _alive_ long enough to do that. Chills that had nothing to do with the breeze erupted down your spine. You hadn't really thought of it before, but now your thoughts ran wild. 

You had completely fucked up their operation. These were highly dangerous ninjas that were planning on  _killing_ an entire family already, what was to say that they weren't going to take you out too, if not just to get rid of the nuisance that had made their job that much harder? You started shivering, shaking your head.  _What the hell are you doing, girl? You don't belong here. You're literally a burden._ But what were you to do? You could run away.... but you knew that you wouldn't survive. Humanity wouldn't accept you as anything more than a freak to be scientifically probed. You ran a bigger chance of getting caught and doing more damage to them if you ran. But you felt so... horrible down there, like a leech. Despite the fact that only Raphael had been hostile to you so far, you still felt them being cautious around you, holding back from welcoming you. Would it always be like that? And what would happen after this war (for that was what it had become, in your eyes)? She couldn't go back to her old life, much less to her old apartment. Sure, Donatello said he would try to fix a cure, but what if he couldn't? 

Even more so, what if he did? Could you go back to your old life, or even start a new one after everything that you were going through? 

You had no idea how long you were sitting on the roof, but a voice startled you out of your thoughts....


	13. Unlikely Similarities [Raphael #2]

You turned and started - Raphael stood right behind you, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. 

"What the hell are you doin' up here?" He growled, suddenly reminding you of Leo. 

You resisted the urge to stand up and crossed your arms, "I needed some air. What's the problem?" 

Raphael let out an annoyed, "Tch," noise and uncrossed his arms, gesturing behind him as he said, "Really? You don' see the problem? Well here, let me enlighten you. We're working our asses off to try and make sure that you're safe - we're pretty sure that Baxter and the foot are looking for your ass so we're training ya and hiding ya, and what do you do? Put yourself at risk by jaunting off onto the roof by yourself, be damned what anyone else is risking!" 

Hot anger flushed through you and you snarled, "Hey, hey, hold the fuck up a second," as you pulled yourself up and away from the edge of the roof, "I wasn't getting up here to try and get myself captured, alright? I needed some air. You know, not sewer air. I was under the impression that I was allowed to at least do that? Wasn't it Leo that said this roof was always empty?" 

Raphael sneered at you, taking a step towards you, "Yeah, you're allowed to come up here with someone with you. Not on your own. You can't handle yourself yet - you're like a newborn kitten in the middle of a snake nest. You can't disappear on your own whenever you please." 

Your hands shook from anger and you closed your hands into fists to stop the shaking, "I can handle myself." 

You knew that the words were false bravado, but your back was up. You were seething, already so close to snapping because of stress and fear, and now being lectured by someone that you were sure hated you. Some rational part of your brain understood his point - it was a little dumb to come up here alone with everything going on, but you needed some space to clear your head, someplace a little closer to normal for you. 

Raphael threw his head back and laughed mockingly at your words, "Really? Wow, after a few weeks of training she things she's can handle the foot, trained from birth ninjas lead by a fucking psychopath. What are you going to do, throw a punch and then meditate for an hour?" 

Your cheeks flushed and you snarled, "Shut the fuck up, alright? What the hell is your problem anyways? It isn't like I've done anything to you - what's your fucking problem with me? I went out for air - something that I know you do a lot. In fact, you've got a bit of a reputation for sneaking out all the time. Always leaving whenever things don't go your way, butting heads with Leo when he doesn't do what you want him to do. I might be reckless but at least I'm not a fucking toddler with anger issues." 

Raphael's smirk vanished and his eyes flashed - you knew then that you had crossed a line. You took a step back, forgetting about the ledge of the roof behind you. Raphael took a step forwards and when he spoke, his voice was dangerously low. 

"You don't know  _shit_ about me. You've been with us, what, maybe a month and a half, and you think that you know our family? Think that you know my reasons for doing shit? Here's a news flash for you - you don't fucking know anything. You ar-- hey!" 

His angry words were cut short - you had been backing away from him as he advanced towards you, and you tripped against the edge of the roof and felt yourself falling backwards. Your arms windmilled, a yell caught in your throat. You were sure that he was going to let you fall - his eyes flashed for a moment, considering, but as the wind rushed up around you, you felt a strong hand grabbing your arm, pulling you violently back onto the roof. He let you go almost immediately, and you stumbled to your knees on the roof, gasping, tears stinging your eyes. Your chest was constricting painfully from the shock. You couldn't breathe - your chest was started to pulse painfully from the lack of oxygen, tears falling down your cheeks. You were shaking, body rigid, little embarrassing mewls escaping your lips. 

Raphael stared at you, eyes widening, "Oh shit, _____, are you alright? It's alright, hey, breathe!" 

Your brain was moving a million times a minute, but it was doing nothing but repeating,  _oh shit oh shit oh shit_ over and over. You didn't understand what was going on - your heart was racing, and you couldn't move. You barely registered Raphael kneeling beside you, hesitating a moment before grabbing your shoulders and looking you in the eyes. His voice was soft but insistent, and you could tell he was shaken. 

"_____, try and breathe, you're alright. It's just a panic attack. Breathe through it." 

It wasn't helping. You were shaking and you felt faint - you could barely breathe, rasps rattling through your lungs like a metal bar on a cage. Raphael was lost - he had no idea what to do. He just kept repeating, "You're alright, just breathe, you're fine, I'm sorry, holy shit calm down. It was the apology that slammed you back into your body, blinking rapidly as tears streamed down your face. 

"I-I-I-" you stammered, trying to speak, your voice sounding alien to you. 

"Shh, don't talk, just breathe. Look at me. Breathe in.... and breathe out. Breathe in..... breathe out." 

How long it took for you to be able to feel in control of your body and mind again, you didn't know, but Raphael crouched in front of you until he was sure that you were alright. He leaned back, hands falling off of your shoulders as you shakily wiped your eyes, panic giving way to shame and embarrassment. You were silent for a moment, taking longer than necessary to wipe your eyes. Finally, you looked up at Raph, hands falling into your lap. He was staring at you, eyes searching your face in what you saw was concern. You must have scared him as badly as he had scared you. 

"I told you I could take care of myself.." you murmured, trying to humour and adverting your eyes. 

Raph was silent for a moment, before letting out a loud bark of laughter that made you jump, "Oh, yeah, ya really put me in my place. When the foot attack, you just panic right then and there and  _boom,_ we win." 

"I mean, it worked on you, didn't it?" you said, feeling a little more strong as you watched him laugh. 

"Well, you got me there." He said plainly, grinning at you. 

You grinned back. The two of you stared at each other for a moment, before you cleared your throat and started to stand. Raphael reached out and gently pulled you up, making sure that you were steady before letting his hands fall to his sides. 

"I guess we had better get back," You said after a moment, still feeling like an outsider in your own body. 

"In a bit. Come with me." 

You blinked, watching as Raphael turned and started to the other end of the roof. After a second, you followed him curiously, wondering where he was leading you. You reached the other edge of the roof and you felt your stomach drop, but you didn't let it show on your face as Raph turned to you. 

"You wanna jump? Or climb?" 

"Jump," You said, itching to try and do something to get your body back into shape. 

Raphael nodded and turned, hopping from one roof to the other. Thankfully, it wasn't a long gap and it was a little shorter, so it wasn't hard for you. The next few roofs were the same - you slowly started to feel like yourself again, a little more strong and bold. After a few more roofs, a little more challenging then the last, you reached Raph's destination. It was a rooftop with a huge neon sign on top of it, advertising what seemed like a clothing shop. He lead you to the ledge underneath the sign, and the two of you sat, legs dangling over the edge. You had a gorgeous view of the city from where you sat - you had a perfect view of one of the botanical gardens. 

The two of you were silent, taking in the view and breathing. The air was a little more free of pollution, and you got the occasional whiff of flowers. After a moment, Raphael spoke, his voice uncharacteristically soft. 

"I know you're stressed. This ain't really the best life." 

"It's not the life." You sad, startled by your honesty. 

It was true - being a mutant was the least of your worries. You were sure that it wouldn't be that way if you were alone, but somehow having other people around you that understood what you were going through and were trying to help you was reassuring... and guilt inducing. Raphael was silent for a moment, and you snuck a sidelong glance at him. He looked out across New York, a content look on his face. He caught you looking and shot you a slightly awkward smile. You returned it and looked back out over the city. In the silence, you could hear the distant booming of bass from a nightclub, some yells and laughs carrying over the wind. Surprisingly, you noticed that you were starting to think of them as a different world, a completely different universe now. Thinking that only a short while ago, you had been living down there, probably still working late at the lab, your hands suddenly felt clammy. 

Raphael must have noticed the change in your mood - He leaned over to you and said, "I ain't really much of a talker, but if you, ah... need to talk about anything, I can listen." 

You smiled, your heart thudding at his kindness. His eyes searched your face, hesitant and guarded but more open than you had seen before. The wind tickled your face, still a little tight from the tears earlier. 

"Thank you." You said, feeling a little embarrassed but grateful. 

Raphael smiled, nodding, obviously a little relieved that you weren't about to unload on him. You chuckled before you could stop yourself and he frowned. 

"What's so funny?" 

You shook your head, trying to wipe the smile from your face. Raphael scowled and pushed your shoulder lightly, muttering, "I ain't that funny." 

You grinned at that, shaking your head and looking back out over the city. A comfortable silence fell over you two as you observed the nightlife below you. Although it was nighttime, the city was light. It was always like that here. The city truly never slept. After a few minutes of silence, Raphael started speaking, the roughness from his voice given way to something softer. 

"My whole life has been in this city. In the sewers. I don' know anything else. Once, when I was a kid, Mike and I tried to run away. We didn't believe that we were different - we watched TV a lot and for some reason, we saw this movie where a mutant was taken in by a human family and treated like one of their own. We thought that Splinter was tryin' to scare us with his insistent warnings of the upper world." 

Raphael paused, and you felt upset for a fleeting moment, thinking he wouldn't go on, but he glanced at your rapt face and cleared his throat, continuing, a little stronger now.

"Well, we came up in an alley in the rougher side of New York. Even at that age, we knew the sewers like the back of our hand, but not the topside so much. We didn't know where we were - I was pissed 'cause Leo had caught us and told us off for thinking of leaving. Mike and I left mostly to spite him." 

You frowned, trying to imagine sweet Mikey doing  _anything_ to spite someone. You couldn't see it, but you didn't dwell - Raph had continued speaking. 

"We met a gang a few alleys over. We weren't sure where we were going, and we were scared, thinkin' that we had made a mistake," he let out a rough snort, "Yeah, we had fucked up, but we didn't realize how badly until we heard 'em comin'. We weren't big, mind you - we were probably around 8 or 9 at this time and maybe 5 foot at that time. They hadn't gotten a good look at us, but decided to scare us a little and came after us. Mike wanted to run - I wanted to fight. I was still smartin' from Leo, so I turned and tried to scare 'em off." He paused for a moment, and your heart started to pound as you thought you saw where this was going. 

Sure enough, "They freaked when they saw us. Thought that we were in some sort of costume and decided to beat us out of it. Only, they realized pretty soon that it wasn't a suit." He shook his head, "I was more scared for Mike than myself. I was pissed that I had lead my little bro into this situation, and I wasn't sure if we were going to make it out. Thankfully," you thought you saw his lip curl faintly, "Leo and Don had followed us. They managed to scare off the guys, I can't remember how. They brought us into the nearest sewer and Don started to wrap us up and try and fix us. We were pretty beaten. We told Splinter that we had gotten carried away fightin' - he didn't question it. Leo and I butted heads from a young age, and fighting wasn't new to him. It was Mike's state that made him so mad. I've never seen him so worried." He shook his head and let out a bitter laugh. 

"That's when Leo started sayin, 'I told ya so,'. He hasn't stopped." 

You had to laugh a little at that to hide your horror. You could only imagine what the two young boys had felt, and the amount of courage and love Don and Leo had to possess to save them. You were silent, unsure of what to say, but you were saved from your awkward silence. 

Raphael met your gaze and smirked a little, "It ain't easy bein' green." 

You threw your head back and laughed at that, leaning backwards and forgetting that you were on the edge of the roof. You tumbled back and fell onto your ass on the roof, grunting. You paused for a moment, eyes wide with shock from the impact, and Raphael roared with laughter at the look on your face. You started laughing again. Pretty soon, you had tears in your eyes for a whole other reason, and Raphael had lifted his mask, wiping his eyes with his thick thumbs. It took a moment for the two of you to be able to function. Raphael pulled you up, chuckling still. You rubbed your backside gingerly. 

"At least I don't have a tail. Pretty sure I'd had snapped that sucker off with that fall." 

The two of you collapsed into laughter again. It was a good hour before the two of you headed back towards the ground and into the sewers. You felt happy and light for the first time in what felt like years, and you enjoyed seeing this side of Raph, the softer, more open side that you were sure he reserved for his family only. When you walked into the lair, however, you were met with three pairs of unamused eyes. 

Leo, Don and Splinter stood in the living room - Don relieved, Leo pissed and Splinter concerned. Raphael muttered, "Here we go." 

You snickered and quickly bit your tongue before they heard. 

"Where the hell have you two been?" Leo snapped, stepping forwards and only twitching when Splinter said, "Leonardo, hush." 

Raphael spoke for you, "I took her out. She's stressed and needed some air. That alright with you, o' fearless leader?" 

You saw the corners of his lips twitch and he glanced at you; you giggled, trying to stay silent. Leonardo's eyes narrowed, scowling between the two of you. Don covered his smile with his hand, and Splinter's eyes softened a touch. 

"No, it's not alright with me. What if she had been seen? What it---" 

Leo was cut off by the door opening and a voice calling out, "Hey, it's alright guys, I found her!" 

Mikey had just entered the lair, grinning and pointing at you, no doubt coming back from searching for you in the tunnels. You grinned and turned back to Leo, who seemed at a loss for words, staring at Mikey.

You took a step forward, trying for a soft voice, "We're fine. Raph was with me the whole time - we were on the roof." 

Leonardo was silent, but the narrowed of his eyes told you that he didn't care. Splinter took the moment to step forwards, glancing oddly between the two of you and said in a quiet voice, "While we are glad that you are alright and I understand needing air, please, next time let us know where you go. Especially now, we need to make sure that every security measure is taken for you, my child. And you, my son." he added, casting a knowing look at Raph, who sobered up and adverted his eyes, muttering that he wouldn't have let anything happen to me. 

Leo obviously wanted to say something more, but Don saved you from bearing the brunt of it by stepping forwards and saying, "______, April brought some new shampoo for you. She figured you might like it better than the stuff we have." He reached up and patted his bald head, "As you can tell, hair is the least of our worries, and the most of Father's." He gabbed a thumb at Splinter, who chuckled good naturedly and twirled his cheek fur. You laughed and followed him up, leaving Raphael and Leonardo staring each other down in the living room. 


	14. Draw me like one of your French girls. [Michelangelo #2]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyy! I hope that you're all still liking the story so far! I'm having a lot of fun writing it and I honestly didn't expect such warm reviews! I love you all for your continued support!

"You wanted some air, so you thought out here was better?" 

You frowned and glanced over your shoulder, surprised to see Mikey standing there, holding a satchel. He was grinning at you and playing with the edge of the bag nervously. You blinked and scooted over for him, thinking that he was going to come up to you, but he lowered himself to the ground where he was, watching you shyly. 

"Sorry. I know that I should have said something about heading out but I just.... I was overwhelmed." You said, cheeks flaming. 

You felt ashamed now, seeing him sitting there. You could only imagine what everyone else was feeling. But after a moment, your chest tightened a little bit and you looked away, over the New York skyline. You were silent, trying to sort out your thoughts and all but forgetting about Mikey. You barely noticed that he had pulled something out of his satchel and had his head down, glancing up at you momentarily. 

"Can you turn your body a little more towards me, but keep your head the way it is?" You heard Mikey say, his voice startling you out of your thoughts. 

You frowned at the odd request, turning and looking at Mikey. You were surprised to see that from his satchel, he had pulled a large sketch book, some professional-looking art tools and you noticed a charcoal smudge across the underside of his mask. He looked shyly at you, his blue eyes wide and nervous. Was he drawing you? Mikey took your silence as rejection, and he looked down, hastily starting to put his things away. 

"Wait, no, no, here," You said quickly, turning your body the way that he had asked and smiling at him. He paused, then grinned, his nerve building up again, blue eyes twinkling in a boyish way that made your heart flutter, your worries slowly ebbing away on the wind that tousled your hair. You were silent, letting yourself watch as he sketched, his thick fingers moving gracefully across the page, sometimes smudging, sometimes leaving broad strokes that you could hear from your seat. You felt flattered that he was drawing you, despite how it turned out, and you felt your cheeks heating in a persistent flush. 

You had thought, when you had seen Mikey initially, that he was there to either bring you back or talk with you about why you left. You hadn't wanted either - the reason you had left was because you needed some space, and you were drained. But you found this silence, this odd way of spending time together just what you needed. Silence except for the sounds of New York behind you and the odd scratching of Mikey's pencil. Occasionally, Mikey would ask you to turn slightly or shift your face, but other then that, the two of you kept to yourself. You had not idea how much time had passed, but when Mikey finally put his pencil down and smiled shyly at you. You moved, groaning as your back creaked stiffly. 

"Sorry," Mikey said, grinning at you. 

You shook your head, surprised to see that you already felt better than you had when you had first come up to the roof. You walked over to him and knelt in front of him, looking eagerly at the paper. You saw Mikey grab it protectively, and you opened your mouth to say that it was alright if he didn't want to show you, but before you could he seemed to decide against keeping it to himself. He handed it to you, looking at your chin instead of meeting your eyes. 

You smiled at his reaction and looked down. You had to do a double take - it was  _good._ Really good. There was no doubt that it was you, but it also... wasn't you. Not how you saw yourself, that is. He had drawn you with New York's light glowing in the background, your face illuminated, looking over your shoulder out across the city. Your body was shifted a little, towards the viewer. Your one leg was up on the ledge, the other bent on the roof, your right arm resting on your elevated knee. Your hair fell gracefully down your shoulder blades, gently lifted from the wind. What struck you, though, was your expression. You looked sad but determined, and though you could only see the side of your face, there was a certain beauty about his vision of you that made you feel... you didn't know. 

"Well...?" Mikey asked nervously, blue eyes glimmering as he watched your face. 

You lifted your eyes from his drawing and looked at him, unsure of what he read on your face. His grin faltered, though, and his fingers twitched like he wanted to take the book back, but he sighed in relief when you broke into a smile. 

"How the  _hell_ did you learn how to draw like that?" You said, shaking your head in disbelief. 

Mikey rubbed the back of his neck, laughing awkwardly, obviously not used to praise, "I dunno. I mean, I started drawing when I was younger. It sort of... helped balance things out." 

Thought he didn't offer more of an explanation than that, you understood. You sat with your legs crossed, asking, "Can I take a look at the other drawings?" 

Mikey hesitated, and you saw something like panic flitting through his blue eyes, and you almost handed it back to him, but he bit his bottom lip and nodded, clasping his hands in his lap. You flipped to the front of the book and smiled - the first few pages, front and back, consisted of an inked and coloured comic of sorts that featured superheros that looked oddly like Mikey and his brothers. The top of the comic said, "Turtle Titans." You grinned and read a little bit - it was quite good. As you flipped through, most of the pages after were filled with almost finished sketches of random scenes, most you recognized as areas in New York. Towards the end of the pages, you saw that they started to change. A few were sketches of women that you didn't recognize, and you thought that they were profile and gender studies. They were quite good, despite being unfinished, and you noticed Mikey fidgeting uncomfortably. 

You glanced up at him to make sure he was alright with you continuing, but he didn't meet your eyes. You continued flipped. The next few pages before the picture he had just drawn were of... you. Two of them were from when you had first arrived, one of you asleep in the infirmary bed, and the other a rough sketch from the night that the two of you had been gaming into the early hours of the night. Another was of you, meeting Raph's blow on the training floor. You looked determined and triumphant, Raphael amused but rough looking as usual. You smiled a little, but the last photo before the recent one made you pause. He had drawn you sitting, curled up on the edge of the couch with your nose in a book. It was fully coloured with what looked like watercolour paints. You wore one of your old green sweaters and a pair of black leggings - it had been a rare cold day, and you thought that you had had the living area to yourself. Splinter and Leonardo were speaking in the dojo, Raphael was in his weight room and Donnie was in his lab. You had taken a few books, with Don's permission, from his room and was reading an interesting terrorism documentary. 

The side of your head was propped on the palm of your hand, elbow on the arm of the couch. Your eyes were pointing down at the book, your hair wavy and tumbling around your face. Yours gills added a soft, otherworldly look about you, the soft green of your skin seeming to glow a little. The book was resting on your legs, which were curled underneath your body. The background of the lair was faded and slightly blurry, but you were crisp and clear, outlined with broad colours. It was obvious he was making you the main focus of the page. You flushed, touched, and looked up at Mikey who was biting his bottom lip, refusing to look at you. 

After a second, Mikey spoke, stuttering a little in his haste to try and explain himself, "I should have asked for permission, b-but we don't really get any g-girls here, other than April, and Raph teased me the last time he saw me drawing her so I stopped incase he told her. If you-" 

You cut him off, smiling, "It's alright. I'm... flattered. Really. These are amazing, Mikey." 

Mikey blinked, lips parted in surprise, and his cheeks flushed with embarrassment but his eyes shone. "You, uh, don't mind me drawing you?" 

You shook your head, "No, I don't. They're amazing." 

Mikey grinned at you as you handed the sketchbook back. He grabbed his tools and put them into a black case and closed his book, shoving both of them into his bag and placing a strap over his shoulder. You sat silently for a few moments, before Mikey spoke. 

"Hey, uh, if you need someone to talk to... I mean, I can try to help. I know it isn't easy and Raphie sort of sucks for making people feel welcome." He smiled apologetically. 

You smiled at him, "Thank you. Really. I think I'll be alright. I'm just a little bit overwhelmed, you know?" 

Mikey nodded and leaned forwards a little bit, "Yeah, I know. It's sort of a shitty situation, but I promise, we won't let anything happen to you. Besides, ya got me on your team." He grinned cheekily at you and winked, "I ain't gonna let anything hurt ya." 

You grinned at him, your cheeks heating as you giggled a little at his comment. The two of you sat on the roof, talking and laughing. Before long, you had no idea why you had even worried so much. You were sure that things were going to be alright. You weren't as trained as any of them, sure, but like Mikey said, you could more or less take care of yourself, and it wasn't like they were throwing you in the thick of things right away, alone. 

As the two of you made your way down to the sewers, Mikey was regaling you with his favorite tales of what he called, 'brotherhood spite'. Mostly stories of fighting between Leo and Raph, his enthusiastic story telling having you in stitches half way home. Your laughter rang out in the tunnels and Mikey's booming voice echoed. 

"YA AIN'T THA LEADA OF MEH," Mikey boomed, impersonating Raphael with a screwed up look on his face. 

"I don' talk like that," a rough voice rang out around the corner. 

The two of you paused as Raph turned the corner, frowning but his eyes twinkling with amusement. Mikey grinned sheepishly and you tried to stifle your amusement. Raph smirked a little and crossed his arms over his chest. 

"Where tha hell have you two been, hmm? Leo's practically frothing at the mouth." 

You opened your mouth to explain, but Mikey cut you off with a quick, "She needed some air, so I gave her New York air." 

Raph snorted, "Wow, that's a real upgrade." 

You laughed, and the three of you headed down the tunnel towards the lair. As you neared the door, Raph was telling you that Leo was practically spitting, pissed that both of you had, "irresponsibly taken off at the worst time." 

"I wish we could prank him," Mikey muttered, and it was like something dawned on both of them. Raph and Mikey looked at each other over your head and grinned a mischievous grin that you knew immediately wasn't a good sign. Then they both looked at you and their grins widened. They paused outside of the door, and the three of you formed a plan within minutes. 

Raphael walked into the lair and spoke loud enough for the two of you to hear him from the cracked door. 

"I still haven' found em." 

You heard Leo swear, Don mutter something and Splinter say, "My sons, calm down. I am sure that they are alright. Michelangelo is with her, I am sure." 

Leo muttered something and then Don said loudly, "Hey, he's done a lot of growing up the last few years. Besides, he's as able as any of us to keep her safe." 

Mikey grinned a little bit and winked at you. You grinned back and over exaggeratedly winked back. Raph spoke again, putting phase one of the plan into action. Once you hear their footsteps appearing, Mikey pointed up and hopped onto the pipes on the roof. He grabbed your hand and pulled you up - the two of you leaned against the far wall, making yourselves as invisible as possible. You held your breath and held your body as instructed to best make yourself small. You waited until Raph, Leo and Don slipped from the lair and down the sewers, Raph casting a glance over his shoulder and giving them a thumbs up - Splinter must be in his room. 

While you two waited until their voices had faded, you and Mikey jumped from the pipes and slipped into the lair silently, holding their breath as the door creaked open and closed. Thankfully, Splinter must not have heard them, and they managed to set phase 2 of their plan into motion. You and Mikey winked at each other and took off to his room. The two of you sat on his bed, booting up the two nintendo DS's that he had. You were both surprised and happy that he had them - a DS was the only game that you really had the time to play. As you started up a game of Mario Kart, you made it through a few rounds (tieing the scores) before you heard them coming back in. 

You grinned and paused the game, standing and nearing the door, listening. Once you were sure that all of them were out, the two of you nodded, started youe game back up and headed out of his room, laughing loudly. 

"There's no fucking way that you can make it through rainbow road, on the highest level, without dying once. No fucking way," You said, eyes flickering between where you were walking and your game. 

Mikey snorted, "Yeah? Try me, bitch. After we get some pizza, I'm gonna make you eat your words. Literally." 

You made to look over your shoulder to shoot back a retort, then stopped, feigning surprise at seeing everyone gathered in the living room. It took all of your will to not laugh at the outraged look on Leo's face and the smug look on Raph's face. 

"Hey, guys? Everything alright?" Mikey asked, pausing the game and looking at everyone curiously. 

Leo stormed, "Where the hell were you guys? We checked  _everywhere_ for you." 

"Well, obviously not good enough. We were in Mikey's room, playing mario kart," You said cheekily, waving the DS at him. 

Leo blinked, confusion warring annoyance. Splinter smiled, eyes twinkling, and you were sure that he was onto you. Don blinked, glancing between you and Leo, just as confused as him. Raph grinned from behind them. 

"There's no way," Leo said, taking a step forward, "We checked. Everywhere.  _Everywhere."_

As Leo was talking, you saw Don step backwards at Raph's nudge and Raph whispered in his ear. Don let out a splutter of laughter that he quickly covered with a cough. Leo barely flinched, and Splinter smiled, eyeing the two of you more intently. You shrugged at Leo, putting on a convincing look of worry. 

"Are you sure? 'Cause we've been in there since the meeting ended. I've been kicking his ass for a few hours now." 

Mikey spluttered for real this time, "No way! We're tied!?" 

You leaned forwards, cupping your mouth and stage-whispering to Leo, "He's lying. I'm totally kicking his ass." 

Mikey scowled as Leo looked totally lost. He looked down and, unbeknownst to you, started the game up. As you grinned at the others, Mikey started mashing buttons and then shouted so loudly you jumped. 

"HAH. I'm beating you now!" 

You looked down, outraged. "That's not fair! I wasn't paying attention!" 

You whirled on him, stopping anything that Leo was going to say. Mikey stuck his tongue out at you and said, "Well, that's your problem, not mine." 

You scowled at him and advanced. Mikey's eyes widened and he took off running back up to his room, you hot at his heels, shouting at him and calling him a cheat. As you reached his room again, you glanced over your shoulder and saw Leo staring after you too, a bewildered look on his face as Don and Raph started laughing. If you weren't mistaken, Splinter winked at you before turning and heading towards his room. 

You closed the door after you and the two of you collapsed onto the floor, howling with laughter at your success. 

"Did you see his face!?" You hissed, eyes tearing with mirth. 

Mikey nodded, laughing richly. After a few moments, the two of you sobered. After the moments of silence, your eyes narrowed and you said, "That still doesn't count. We're tied." 

Mikey smirked, "No way, Jose. I win." 

You scowled. Oh, it was on. 


	15. Discovery [Donatello #2]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To make up for my disappearance, I'm trying to bust out as many new chapters as I can for all of you beauties! I hope that you like them! These last few chapters have been the most fun for me to write, actually, and I hope that you think they're just as fun to read!

"You're not supposed to be up here alone, you know that." Despite the reprimanding words, Donatello's voice was soft and understanding. 

You felt a little bit of shame bubbling up into your chest, but you swallowed it and turned back to the city, voice soft, "I know. I just.. I need to breathe." 

Donatello was silent, and you thought that he was going to leave, but he sat beside you silently, his legs dangling over the edge of the roof. You saw that he had taken his staff with him. His hands clasped in his lap, he stared silently out over the city-scape. You were silent for a few moments, and after you were sure that he wasn't going to force you to return quiet yet, you let your thoughts wander. Before you really realized you were doing it, you felt yourself start to speak, lips numb. 

"I'm not ready to do this yet. I just barely learned how to punch and block properly. What use am I going to be if we end up getting into a fight? I'm going to be a burden. All that I know about the laboratory can be summed up in 15 minutes. What help am I going to be? I would be better off to be used as bait. At least that way I could be able to blame my helplessness on a role instead of lack of experience." 

Donatello watched you, his eyes softening as you spoke. He let you pause, not trying to speak, instead letting you catch your breath and continue. It was like you were a burst pipe - you couldn't stop talking, your voice wavering and eyes suddenly swimming, embarrassingly enough, but you still couldn't stop. 

"I never asked for this and I know that you guys didn't. It's just... it's hard. This is all that you guys know, and you've had the time to come to terms with it, but I haven't had the time to be able to even process what's happened to my body, let alone my life in general. I've lead you guys into this huge mess and I can't even help you guys out of it. I feel like a total dweeb, especially compared to you guys." 

You fell silent, your pity party ebbing away and leaving shame in it's wake. You didn't look over at Donatello, though you could feel his eyes on you. You were both thankful for his silence and unnerved by it - you didn't know what he was thinking and you weren't really sure that you wanted to know, but you couldn't help feeling annoyed by his silence. You were just so overwhelmed that your mind was a total quagmire. You didn't know what you wanted. 

Donatello was silent for a few more moments, before speaking, "Do you want to see my lab?" His words seemed a little rushed, almost like he hadn't expected to say that. 

You blinked and grinned slowly, your mind slowly melting from overwhelmed panic to a surge of curiosity. Don's laboratory was the only place, other than the other turtles' bedrooms, that you hadn't been. He kept it locked and seemed to guard it with his life. You were pretty sure that he even kept his brothers away as much as he could. You couldn't help but feel... honored, in a way. Donnie grinned slowly when he saw your face light up and he stood, holding his hand out to you and pulling you up. 

"Are you sure? I know it's sort of your... hideout," you pushed as he lead you back down into the sewers. 

Donnie let out a small laugh, "It's only a hideout because nobody else here shares my enthusiasm for science. Well, other than you, now." He shot you a shy grin over his shoulder that you returned brightly. 

You chatted as you returned to the lair. You knew that you hadn't been gone too long, but when you walked in with Donnie, Leo cleared his throat. His arms were crossed over his chest. You felt like a dog that was about to get punished for messing on the floor. As you advanced, you leaned over to Donnie and whispered, " _Bad _____."_

Donnie spluttered a laugh - Leo's expression darkened. You bit the inside of your cheek as Don smiled apologetically at Leo. 

"Where did you go?" He snapped, narrowing his eyes at you. 

"I just went for some air," You said calmly, wondering why he was so mad. You have been gone for  _maybe_ 20 minutes at the most. 

As Leo opened his mouth to retaliate, Donnie spoke up, his voice soft and reasoning, "Leo, she's alright. She was only gone for a few minutes, and she didn't go far." 

You could tell that the eldest didn't want to let it go - his jaw worked silently, but after a tense moment, he sighed and uncrossed his arms, chest deflating, "Fine. Just... don't disappear without letting us know and at least follow to make sure you don't get into any trouble." 

You rolled your eyes - he made it sound like you brought trouble with you everywhere you went. Which, you guessed, all things considered was a fair deduction. Leo nodded his head in a final sort of way and turned, walking towards the kitchen. Donnie rolled his eyes fondly and motioned for you to follow him to his lab. You could barely contain your excitement - you knew it was a weird thing to be excited about, but you felt like when you were 15, going to your first concert. You were excited. 

Donnie opened the door and waved you in, turning the lights on. He closed the door beside you and you looked around, whispering, "Wow." 

It wasn't super big, but it was filled with things that your fingers itched to touch, to examine. The walls were covered with bookcase, from the floor to the ceiling, filled with books and specimens. Cupboards were stuck between the bookcases around the room, some of them opaque and others glass. There was a desk against the near wall, between some bookcases, and it had a huge computer on it, humming softly. In the middle of a room sat a medical bed and another large table with a variety of test tubes and other scientific items. It was pristine, gleaming clean, and had an antiseptic smell that you had always liked. 

"What do you think? I know it's not much - you're probably used to a lot more than this. I had to make do with what I could find and make." 

You turned and grinned at him, "I'm impressed, braniac. Now impress me some more." 

Donnie grinned, his cheeks flushing as he showed you around the laboratory. As you wandered around, guided, you noticed something glowing underneath a microscope on the table. You frowned and walked over to it. Donnie took a second to realize that you weren't behind him anymore, but didn't miss a beat. 

"I've been working on the DNA code of the ooze sample I got from you. If you thought that it was weird before, come look at what I found out now." 

He motioned for you to follow him over to the computer. After one last look at the glowing green goo (you were sure that it hadn't been glowing before. Had Don done something to it?) you followed him to the computer and waited impatiently as he booted it up. Thankfully, it took only a moment. Donatello brought up a few scans from the microscope and zoomed in. You took a moment to truly appreciate just how high tech his set up was - it was hard for you to believe that he had done most of this himself. Donnie moved to the side and crossed his arms, looking eagerly between you and the monitor. 

You looked.... and had to do a double, a triple take. That just wasn't... 

"...possible," you finished audibly, "That's not possibly. It's rewriting it's own code. That's not possible." 

"Exactly what I was thinking," Donnie said, grimacing, "I haven't been able to dig up anything else, but I'll keep looking at it. I'm pretty close to at least figuring out what's causing the glowing. That started up a few nights ago." 

You shook your head, "Jeez. I knew that it hadn't been glowing before. At least, not that much." You cast a glance over your shoulder at the specimen, nose wrinkling. 

Donnie smiled and started speaking, but you didn't hear what he said, your eyes drawn to something in a glass cabinet that was moving within a mason jar. You blinked, chills running up and down your spine. As you walked over to it, you barely noticed Donnie's words trailing off. As you got a better look at whatever it was, you let out a disgusted, "OH MY GOOOOOD DONNIE WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT" and leapt back. 

It looked like a huge potato bug but... wrong. It had wings, for starters, and those wings were bright green. It's face was large and bulbous, it's eyes bright and red. It was making a disgusting clicking and squelching noise. Then it opened it's mouth and spat something at the glass. You let out a groaning noise, your stomach lurching. You looked at Donnie, goosebumps over your skin. Donnie had to suppress a smile as he neared, looking almost fondly at the mutant bug. 

"I took some of the ooze and dropped it on a bug that I found in here last night. It's only been about 24 hours and I'm certain that it's going to get bigger. I'm sorry, I know that it isn't pretty to look at, but it's all..." 

"In the name of science," you echoed tonelessly, turning a disgusted look to the bug. 

You almost felt bad for it, remembering how shitty you felt when that stuff entered your blood system. The long that you looked at the bug, the more you felt uncomfortable, your skin crawling. You shuddered and looked away guiltily. Donnie shot you an apologetic smile and lead you over to a book case, waving at the books. Some were in rough condition, others practically new. 

"I saw that you liked to read. I know that they're not super interesting, but I thought that, if you ever get, you know, bored of the books that you have now, you wouldn't mind..." He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck and clearing his throat, cheeks flushing. 

You found his reaction endearing, your heart fluttering with appreciation. "Thank you," you said meaningfully, smiling at him and turning back to the bookcase. 

Donnie smiled and took a step back, watching as you perused the selection with interest. Eventually, you found a book about folk medicine that you found interesting - it looked like it was a century old. As you flipped it open, you sniffed the musty pages and smiled - you had always loved the smell of old books. Donnie chuckled a little and turned, heading back over to the computer. You flipped through a few pages before deciding that you wanted to read it, and then looked around, taking a seat at the table in the middle of the room. 

You flipped through the book, silently reading as Donatello clicked away on the computer, occasionally bouncing ideas off of your head about the composition of the ooze and some other things he was looking up. About half way through the book, you pursed your lips, reading a salve recipe that had lavender and rosemary in it. You blinked and lifted your head, watching Donnie, who had moved to the table with you, peering down the microscope at a DNA sample from the mutant bug. 

"Have you ever thought about having plants?" 

Donnie blinked and looked up at you, frowning like he hadn't heard you. You repeated your question, and Donnie chuckled. 

"We haven't got any windows." 

You rolled your eyes, "Well, no shit Sherlock. I only meant, I'm surprised. You've written in the margins of this book, marking down things that you want to try. Why not have the plants to try them when you want to? I'm sure that you could make a light box to keep the plants alive." 

Donnie shook his head and smiled a little, "How do you know that I wrote that? The book is ancient." 

"Because I know your writing, duh." 

He smiled at you and turned the microscopes light off, taking his goggles off and leaning forwards against the table, regarding you, considering. You were silent for a moment, and your eyes drifted back down the the book, scanning a sketch of English Lavender. After a moment, Donnie spoke, thoughtful. 

"I mean, it wouldn't be hard. I could ask April to bring some plants and lights down, and the rest I could do myself. It would save us a lot of trouble. We could make teas to help with pain and insomnia," 

"And don't forget, some of these tinctures and salves are great for wounds. God knows you guys get hurt a lot," you teased, smiling a little. 

Donnie smiled vaguely, lost in thought, "I just don't know how to harvest or care for plants." 

You shrugged, "I mean, it's all here in this book. And my mom had a lot of plants when I was a little girl - I've never had one myself, mostly because I've never really had the time or the space, but I'm sure that I can show you what I know. We could raise them together." You grinned at him. 

Donnie snorted, "They're gonna look more like me, though." 

You blinked, a little confused. He waited a moment to see if you would catch on, before saying, "Y'know, green...green plants...." 

You snorted, shaking your head, "That was bad." 

Donnie shrugged, grinning lopsidedly, "That's why I'm the smart one, not the funny one." 

"I mean, I think you're funny," You said thoughtfully, eyes scanning the book idly.

You missed Donnie's smile and flushing cheeks. 

You spent a few hours in his lab, reading and just spending time with Donnie, until you couldn't keep your eyes open. One moment, you were reading (a different book - something about different uses for melatonin in recent scientific ventures) and the next, you were asleep, your head on the book, breathing softly. Donnie glanced over his shoulder from the computer and smiled, watching your peaceful face. Your lips were parted, gills rippling softly as you slept. Your hair fell in curtains around your neck and face, shifting softly with each breath. You were bent over in what Donnie assumed couldn't be a comfortable position. 

He stood and walked over to you, gently shaking your shoulder, "_____?" 

You didn't stir. He smiled a little and gently gathered you up in his arms, taking care to try and not jostle you too much. He kicked the door open and brought you upstairs and into your room. You didn't wake, you barely moved as he carried you, breathing softly and walking as steadily as he could. He nudged your bedroom door open, the light from the living room illuminating enough of your bedroom for him to be able to lay you down on your bed. He tucked you in gently, taking care to make sure that you were covered and comfortable. 

He knelt there for a moment, watching you sleep. His hand tingled as he reached out, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear. You shifted softly but didn't wake. He smiled at you and whispered into the darkness, "Stay tough, kid. It'll get easier." 

 


	16. Judgement [Leonardo #2]

"And just what do you think you're doing up here?" 

You turned and scowled - Leonardo stood behind you, arms crossed, eyes narrowed in obvious annoyance. 

"I needed air," you snapped, suddenly angry. 

You were mad because he was treating you like a child. You knew that you probably should have said something, but you were tired of being treated like a child, especially by Leo. You knew that he was just worried about your safety and the safety of his family, but that didn't truly register at that moment. You were mad, irrationally so, sure, but still mad that he expected you to just follow what he said without questioning it or having a say in the matter. You would regret this as soon as you were more calm, but right now all of your fear and panic was turning into anger that was being sparked by Leonardo's annoyed stare. 

"And you didn't think to let us know where you were going?" 

"I didn't realize that I was under an obligation to." 

Leo scoffed, "Seriously? After all that we've done to try and keep you safe, keep you ready? Did you not listen to our accounts from scouting, about how the foot are still out here looking for you? For us? And you just thought that you would be  _totally_ safe up here on your own, getting  _air?"_ He stepped closer as he spoke, arms uncrossing. 

His tone was taking on the same exasperated, annoyed tone that you had heard him use on Raph when they butted heads. That annoyed you even more, but your anger, just as quickly as it had come, dissipated. You lowered your head, sniffling softly, eyes prickling.  _Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry,_ you chanted, horrified that your anger had turned into an embarrassing urge to cry. But what else could you do? Nothing. You couldn't turn back time, you couldn't help them fix things, and now you were expected to just jump into a mission like this and be totally fine. 

You sniffled again, eyes wet. You blinked rapidly, trying to suppress your tears, but you watched as they plopped onto the concrete underneath you. Leonardo was quiet, watching you, unable to figure out what you were doing. You glanced up, looking away quickly and sniffing again, wiping your eyes hastily. The tears kept coming, and you furiously tried to wipe them away again, to no avail. You sat there silently, awkwardness rising by the moment. You glanced back up at Leo who looked lost, totally lost, blinking and staring at you, eyes wide. You spluttered an awkward laugh and wiped your face again. 

"You look like you're about to run away," you said, trying to make a joke. 

"I'm sorry," Leo said, voice cracking softly, "For getting mad. I, um, is there anything that I can do?" 

You shook your head, smiling a little and standing, walking away from the edge of the roof, "Nah, sorry. I don't want this to turn into my pity party." 

Leo eyed you, his gaze softening with his tone, "You deserve to have at least a little sympathy get together." 

You laughed, harder than the feeble joke really warranted, but you couldn't stop. It was either laughter or crying, and laughing hysterically was less embarrassing than crying. After a moment, Leo laughed along with you, shaking his head. It took a moment for your laughter to turn to giggles, and then subside completely. Once Leo was sure that you were done laughing, he spoke, clasping his hands behind his back. 

"I can understand you needing some space to breathe. Just... let me know, at least. I don't want you getting hurt." 

You smiled a little, "Thanks. I know. I'm sorry. I'm just... worried. I don't feel ready for this at all. I just.. I don't want to be a burden. If something goes wrong, I can't be as much of a bad ass as you guys can." 

Leo spluttered a laugh, "A bad ass? Is that what you think we are?" 

You grinned sheepishly, "Well, yeah. You guys have been training since you were kids for this, training in the way of the ninja. You guys know how to do things that most celebrated senseis' don't even know. The most that I've ever done before meeting you guys was hopping on a treadmill for 10 minutes and calling it a week." You shook your head, smiling bitterly, "I'm going to fuck up, and I know it. I just don't want to be the reason that any of you get hurt. You've all done so much more for me than I could have ever asked, and I couldn't forgive myself if--" 

"Hey, shh, it's alright. We know what we're doing and nerves aside, I'm fully confident that you can handle your own," Leo cut in, reaching out and gently grasped your shoulders, steadying you and pulling you a little closer. 

You smiled a little and looked up at him, his brown eyes twinkling in the lights from the city behind you. You stood there for a moment, his warm hands steady on your chilled shoulders. After a moment, he cleared his throat and pulled his hands back, arms hanging awkwardly at his sides. You chewed the inside of your cheek and looked down, flushing. 

"Well," you said, breaking the ice, "I guess we should go back down to the lair." 

You started off towards the ladder down the side of the building, but paused when Leo called your name. 

"Do you want to stay out a little longer?" He asked, not quite looking at your eyes, "I mean, if you still need air." 

You smiled a little, curious as to what he had planned, "I mean, sure. If you think that it's safe, that is." 

Leo looked at you, clearly trying to figure out whether or not you were joking. Once he decided that you you weren't making fun of him, he gestured for you to follow him. It wasn't a long travel, but it was a little difficult. He waited for you when you had to cross a particularly large rooftop gap and thankfully tried to keep the paths as easy to maneuver as possible. He lead you to a rooftop over what you assumed to be a club. Loud booming music was pretty clear from where you were. He lead you to the edge and the two of you sat, legs dangling over the side. Sure enough, the building that you were on top of sat right across from a seedy looking club. When you said seedy, you meant it in a popular sort of way. 

People were filing into the club, giggling, hoping for a safe taste of the New York wild side without any nasty side effects. You weren't anywhere close to the worst parts of New York here - it was a pretty high end neighborhood, but that didn't matter to the people tittering and squealing as they slipped inside. You wondered briefly if it was safe for the two of you to be sitting there, but Leo seemed to read your mind. 

"Nobody can see us from up here. The shadows are thick enough up here that they won't see more than a blurry shadow, and that's if they even bother looking up for some reason." He smiled at you. 

The two of you watched the party-goers and the bouncer for a few moments. Your legs started to wiggle a little to the beat of the trap beat - the bass was so loud that your ass was tingling to the beat from where you were sitting. Leo spoke some time later, his voice sounding far off and not at all like his usual crisp tone. He was watching the scene below wistfully. 

"You know, there are sometimes where I would give anything to be a human, down there with friends, laughing and clubbing. When I was younger, I used to get so mad at God, or whatever there is up there. Why did we have to be born this way? Why did we have to be these... freaks?" 

You blinked, shocked at the bitterness and anger in Leo's voice. You looked at him, watching his face twitch as he spoke. 

"When we were younger, my brothers were just as confused and upset as I was. I understood why we couldn't just go topside and try and mingle with everyone else, but understanding and accepting are two different things. I couldn't blame Raph for his anger at me, how he lashed out. But they were lucky in my eyes - they had someone to take charge and keep them in check. I had Master Splinter, which is better than anything else I could have seen for myself, but I had no one else to talk to, to turn to. I was their leader from a young age. I had to keep them focused and keep them on track - Master Splinter needed all the help that he could get." 

He paused for a moment, and you watched him, not daring to speak for fear of shutting his talking down. 

Eventually, he spoke again, his voice softer - so soft you had to move a little closer to him to hear properly. 

"Sometimes I still think about it - how our lives would be different if we had been born human, or not at all." He paused, before pressing on, his voice more rushed now, "But then I feel bad. Who else would protect this city? Our home? If we were born as human, would we even be brothers? What would have happened to Master Splinter?" He shook his head and shot you a lopsided smile, "All things considered, the mutant life isn't so bad when you have someone else that you can share the bitterness with. After a while, it looses it's sting." 

He fell silent after that - the two of you sat on the rooftop, a gentle wind bringing gooseflesh across your arms. You mulled over what he said and you felt a surge of sadness, picturing the turtles as little kids, watching TV programmes and wishing that they could be a part of that world but knowing that they would be seen as freaks. You would like to think that they would have been accepted, but you really didn't know. You thought of the ways that humanity had reacted to something different entering their reality before - hell, even a different shade of skin had throw the world into war at one time. You shook your head softly and looked down at your hands, fingering the webbing idly. Your throat was tight with all of the things that you wanted to say to him, but you didn't know the words for. 

"I mean, at least you don't have to work," you blurted out before you could stop yourself. 

Leo shook his head and grinned a little, but his voice was stern, "We still try and pay our way. When we get pizza, we try and order from places where we know the delivery guys from. When they need it, sometimes we'll drop off food when they need it or a gift as a thank you. Even thought we don't have to work, we still don't like having to skulk around, grabbing our things from unsuspecting people trying to make a living." 

You felt a little ashamed for your comment, "Sorry, I didn't mean.. I just tired to make a joke. Jobs really do suck." 

Leo smiled over at you, "I know what you meant. I just, I don't know. Felt like I had to explain myself." 

You shook your head, "You don't have to explain yourself." 

He shot you another small smile and stood, stretching and pacing around the roof restlessly. You watched him for a moment, before smiled a little - he was pacing to the beat of the song. You stood and walked over to him. 

"You're making my head spin. What's up? What's got your mask in a twist?" 

Leo stopped and shook his head, "I dunno. I'm just... thinking about tomorrow. I'm sure that everything is going to be alright, I just can't help trying to think everything through, to try and make a plan for every possible twist and turn." He shook his head and scratched his collarbone. 

You nodded, "I understand. It makes you feel better to feel like you have everything covered." 

He nodded, relieved that you understood and he didn't need to keep explaining. 

"We should get back," He said softly after a moment, looking at you funny. 

You nodded, his expression making you squirm a little, "Yeah, we should." 

The two of you walked back down into the sewers in silence. As you splashed down the tunnels, Leo cleared his throat and said, "Don't worry about tomorrow. We won't let anything happen to you. And you won't be a burden," He added hastily, seeing the look on your face. 

You smiled half-heartedly, appreciating his attempt at making you feel better but not feeling better all the same. As the two of you walked into the lair, you saw Mikey and Raph sitting on the floor in front of the TV, Donnie sitting on the couch behind them watching as they played Call of Duty. Donnie turned and smiled at you in greeting - Mikey and Raph grunted, too focused on their game to turn away. Leo smiled fondly and walked over to them, asking who was winning. 

You were tired, and at that moment, not noticed. You took the small invisible moment to disappear upstairs and into your room - you wanted to get some sleep. But after you had closed your door, changed into an oversized t-shirt and crawled into bed, you growled in frustration. You were suddenly wide away. You lay there, staring up at the ceiling, willing yourself to fall asleep, but nothing happened. After what felt like hours later, you heard a soft knock at your bedroom door and a whisper of, "______?" 

You sat up and turned your lamp on, calling, "Come in,". 

Leo edged into the room, holding two mugs in his hands. You stood up to help him in, but he shook his head and kicked the door closed behind him. He smiled awkwardly at you and handed you a mug of what you quickly realized was tea. You smiled at him gratefully. 

"I hope that I didn't wake you up," He said, watching your reaction closely, in case you were annoyed. 

You shook your head and moved over on your bed, motioning for him to take a seat. He sat down beside you, a little awkwardly, and the two of you nursed your tea. You smiled as you took a sip - it was just the way that you liked it. Black with a little bit of honey. That was one thing that you found yourself missing a lot - some nights, when you couldn't get to sleep, you would make yourself some tea and sit by your apartment window. Your first night in your new apartment, you couldn't sleep. There was a thunderstorm, and as you closed your eyes, you could have sworn that you could smell the rain, the ozone, and feel the cool air on your face. 

You snapped out of your reverie a moment later, the rain smell dissipating to the musky smell of the sewers that you had begun to grow accustomed to. You felt someone watching you, and you glanced over in time to see Leo watching you intently. He blinked and flushed, looking away as your eyes met and sipping at his tea. You smiled a little and eyed the male, pursing your lips. 

"What's your favorite weather?" you asked out of nowhere. 

"I love storms," he said instantly, "Thunderstorms, blizzards, all of them. What about you?" 

You wrinkled your nose, "I hate snow, but I hate sunshine even more. I love rain." 

He smiled, "If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?" 

"Somewhere in the mountains," you said without thinking, "I've always loved the mountains." 

He grinned, "I've never been. I mean, I went out to Casey's mom's cabin once or twice and there are some mountains nearby, but I haven't even gone into the mountains." 

You shook your head, mock-horrified, "I cannot believe that you've never been to the mountains. Maybe if all goes well, Casey can bring us all to his cabin and you and I can go for a hike. Believe me when I tell you, there is nowhere that's more calming and peaceful." 

Leo smiled at you, "I'd like that." 

You fell silent, your cheeks heating for some reason. You took another sip of tea and said, "If you could be any animal, what animal would you be?" 

Leo grinned mischievously at you, "A turtle." 

You narrowed your eyes but your lips quirked into a smile, "Other than a turtle, you dweeb." 

"A tortise." 

You spluttered, shaking your head and trying to suppress your laughter, "Other than a tortise!!!" 

"A toad." 

You shook your head, "I guess that's the best that I'm going to get out of you." 

He grinned wider, "But seriously though, I think it'd be pretty cool to be a bird. I could fly all the time and shit on Raph." 

You barked a laugh; you didn't know what you had been expecting, but that wasn't it. He laughed a little, brown eyes twinkling as he watched you, obviously pleased that he made you laugh. 

"What about you?" He asked when your laughter died down. 

"A spider." 

He frowned, "What? Why?" 

"Because people would leave me the fuck alone." 

It was his turn to laugh - he had been taking a sip of tea at that moment, and it shot from his nostrils. You let out an embarrassingly loud shriek of laughter that made Leo laugh harder, shaking his head and gasping, "You're killing me!" 

The two of you giggled, finishing your tea and chatting until the wee hours of the morning. Tea finished, you had put your mug on the floor, Leo's beside yours. The last thing that you remembered before you succumbed to sleep was Leo leaning against the wall at the foot of your bed, eyes closed, smiling a little to himself as he said something that you couldn't remember. When you woke up in the morning, he was gone, but his mask was still at the foot of your bed. You took it hesitantly and smiled a little - the foot of the bed was still warm. 


	17. Jaded

Despite having planned on leaving at 10 that evening, a few bumps in the road changed Leo's carefully made plans. Instead of leaving that night, it was moved to the following night. Casey had the misfortune of running into a few members of the Foot wandering the sewers while on his way to the lair. He took care of them, taking one back for questioning. You had been woken up from a nap by the noise. After a few hours of interrogation, it was found out that they were setting the bomb that you had been warning them about. He couldn't tell you where it had been planted, only that they were to guard the sewers. After he had outlived his usefulness, Raphael took care of him, and Donnie practically ran into his lab. 

You paced the living room anxiously - nobody was speaking. Leo was leaning against the far wall, arms crossed stiffly and eyes far away, thinking. Raphael was still out, securing the sewers and cleaning up. Mikey sat on the couch, for once not joking around or gaming. He sat silently, staring at the black monitors. Master Splinter had wandered into the kitchen, turning the kettle on and humming softly to himself. Casey and April sat at the dining room table, holding hands and worrying quietly. After what felt like a year, Leo pushed off of the wall and walked over to you. 

"Do you remember anything about that bomb?" 

You shook your head, then added, "I think Donnie still has the papers that I came here with. There was information on the bomb in them, I think." 

Leo's eyes lit up and he turned, walking into Donnie's laboratory without knocking. You could hear the murmur of voices, but before you could get closer, Raphael returned, grimacing and wiping a stained towel over his face. 

"Any other bad guys out there?" Mikey asked, perking up when he saw his brother. 

Raphael shook his head, maintaining a stony silence and walking into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water. He grunted a greeting to Casey and April and nodded at Splinter, but remained silent otherwise. Donnie and Leo walked out after a few moments, holding a wrinkled piece of paper. You had a suspicion of what it was, and your thoughts were proved right when Don began to speak, his voice clear but eyes worried. 

"We have some rough blueprints for the bomb. Provided that this is still the same, we need to get out of here," He turned the paper around and pointed at the diagram, "It's set off by heat sources coming too close. It launches nets that are filled with electricity to stun and trap whatever triggers it. It follows heat sources, but it's intricately done. Only large heat sources, such as one of us, can set it off - rats and other sewer dwellers won't even register." He glanced over at you momentarily, before continuing, "We need to get out of here. If the foot was right, then we have maybe a few hours." 

Raph growled in frustration, shaking his head. Mikey spoke, his voice soft, "Where are we supposed to go? Casey's cabin burned down last month from the forest fires, remember? And April's apartment isn't big enough for all of us." 

There was a tense silence, in which you could hear the blood pulsing through your veins. You felt panic rising in your throat again, fear and worry for everyone around you. You knew that it was irrational to think that this was your fault; if anything, you had given them a fighting chance. But you still couldn't help feeling guilty. You took a deep breath, suddenly aware of Splinter coming up to you, gently touching your arm. You looked over and he gave you a small smile, silently telling you that everything was going to be alright. 

Suddenly, April spoke, her voice cracking at first but gaining strength, "I might know somewhere that we can go. There's an abandoned building across from my apartment. Nobody ever goes in - it was supposed to be demolished last month but someone bought it out. Something about tax money. But there's no one in there, and a roof access. You guys could go there tonight and hide there until we can find you something safer." 

Leonardo nodded his head, considering, and you glanced around, guilt plaguing your mind. You looked at everything in their home - all of the games, TV monitors and everything else that made this place comfortable. And what about all of Donnie's work? What happened if they left, and their place was raided? You bit your bottom lip, struggling to keep your breathing regulated and calm. Splinter's hand returned to your arm, this time remaining there, a constant warmth that seemed to calm you down a little more. You smiled a little at him. He nodded, understanding. 

"Yeah. Let's pack and get out of here. I don't know how close it is or what the radius of activation is." Leo said, his tone indicating that that was his final word. 

Everyone split. You headed up to your room to pack your duffel of things that you would need, leaving what you wouldn't miss. Your heart was pounding when you came back down, your cheek raw from where you had been biting it. You walked over to Leo, who was standing, absentmindedly sharpening his katanas. He looked up at you and blinked - it seemed to take him a moment to realize who you were. 

"Can I help at all?" You asked, voice soft. 

Leo shook his head and smiled a little at you, "No. We're just grabbing the essentials and leaving. The lair will be fine," He added, reading the look of despair on your face, "Donnie's rigged this place out with so many defensive mechanics that it's almost impossible for someone to break into. Besides, the only people who know where we are are either in the lair currently or.. well, not alive to tell the tale." He smiled bitterly at that and grabbed your hand reassuringly. Within 20 minutes, everyone was reading to go. As you walked towards the door, Leo took the lead. 

"You said this building was across from your apartment?" Leo asked. 

April nodded, "Yeah. There's a sewer that comes up right behind it." 

Donnie nodded, "I'm pretty sure I know where that is but... are we safe walking down here? Do you think it'll be safe with the bomb?" 

Leo paused - everyone stopped. There was silence for a moment, before Raphael groaned and said, "I think we're going to be fine. Would you please just start walking?" 

Leo scowled at Raph, about to open his mouth to retort, but Mikey (who obviously smelled trouble) broke in quickly, "What time is it up there? If it's daylight, we can't risk it." 

Leo nodded his head - he turned to Casey, who shook his head, "Sun's up by now." 

Leo grimaced and nodded his head, "Alright, we travel down here. But slowly and carefully." 

That sewer walk had to be the most intense walk of your life. Your heart was pounding, worried that any second now that tazer bomb was going to go off and hit you. Mikey tried to keep your mind off of things by keeping up a steady stream of storytelling that had you in stitches, but after a few moments of this, Leo hissed for you to be silent. 

"Casey found the foot down here just a few hours ago. There's probably more, and we don't want to get caught." 

Raph rolled his eyes, Splinter smiled a little, and Mikey made a face to you, poking fun. You bit your bottom lip in amusement. The rest of the walk was uneventful - there were a few times that you all thought that you heard something, but it turned out to just be running water or sewer rats. After 20 grueling minutes, you reached your destination. Leo hopped up first to look around - it was daylight by now, but like April had said, this side of the street was industrial and mostly abandoned. Leo scoped the area out for a few moments before deeming it was safe enough for you to pop out in twos and dart into the building. 

It took a while, but eventually you all managed to get in unseen. April was right - the building was totally abandoned. It looked like it was an old warehouse - there were still some empty, broken coolers. It seemed like it used to be a grocery store, but you couldn't be sure. The dust was thick, so you were careful to not touch much, but the more you poked around the more worried you were that you would be found come night time. The windows were musty and any light you were sure would be noticed by the buildings across the street. Leo seemed to be thinking the same thing - he was poking around for someplace a little more private. 

"Hey, guys, there's a door that leads down into a basement or something," Raph called from across the building. 

As you walked closer, you saw where he was pointing. The light from outside illuminated the place enough to move around without difficulty, but the stairs down were black. You shuddered, and Mikey seemed to mirror your discomfort. 

"Dudes, this is the beginning to literally  _every B-rated horror movie EVER._ Why don't we just stay up here? Instead of being those idiots that go down into the murderer's lair?" Though his claims were pretty exaggerated, you couldn't help but agree. 

Leo rolled his eyes, "Down, Mikey. It's just the storage center. If we stay up here we'll be seen by someone walking by. It doesn't seem like there are any windows down there, so we should be fine down there." 

Mikey balked as Raph started walking downstairs, and Donnie rolled his eyes, sighing, "For Godssake, Mikey, come on." 

Mikey babbled, trying to get out of it as Donnie grabbed him and started dragging him downstairs. April and Casey sniggered as they followed, leaving you standing at the head of the stairs, staring down uneasily. You glanced around, wishing that you could just stay where you were. It wasn't super hidden, but you doubted that anyone would see you. Not if they weren't looking right into the abandoned building. It didn't look like anyone had been in here for years, so...

"_____? Are you coming?" 

You jumped a little, scowling and taking a few hesitant steps towards the stairs. Don's head popped up a few steps down, looking at you with a smirk on his face. 

"You aren't scared of the dark, are you?" He teased. 

You narrowed your eyes, "Of course not. I'm just making sure nobody saw us." 

"Uh huh," Don said, smirking a little, "Close the door behind you. We're going to stay down here until night." 

You tried to look confident as you took a step down, your hand on the doorknob behind you. Wishing the sunlight a wistful goodbye, you closed the door and were plunged into the pitch dark. You could see some light further down, from a flashlight you presumed, but you could barely see the steps. There was no railing, but there were walls on either side of you. You reached out, touching the walls, and took the stairs one step at a time. You could hear the voices of everyone else from below, but you didn't speed up, your heart pounding. 

You loved horror movies. October was your favorite month, due solely to autumn and Halloween. You lived for all things spooky, and you loved the little thrills that watching really good horror movies gave you, but that was an artificial scare. All the demons and monsters from those movies were in your brain again, and suddenly they weren't as appealing.  _God, you're such a kid,_ you chidded yourself, steeling your mind and finally reaching the bottom. 

"Wow," You breathed, looking around. 

It was huge. The basement floor was musty and stunk of rust, but it was practically empty, save for some empty bookcases along the wall, some boxes to one end and a table with stuff that looked like old machine parts perched on it. The turtles had flashlights, and Donnie was setting up what looked to be a lamp near a power outlet. You doubted that there was still electricity here, but after seeing what Don had been capable of doing in the sewers, you wouldn't put it past Donnie to do the impossible. Sure enough, with a little, "Aha!" The lamp clicked on. 

There were no windows down there to betray your position, and you were sure that noise wouldn't be an issue. It looked pretty heavily insulated. It was chilly down there, though, a drastic change from the muggy New York sewers. You shivered, cursing yourself for not bringing a sweater with you. You couldn't be blamed, though - it was hot and nobody thought it would be cold down there. Mikey noticed you shivering, though, but thought it was for a different reason. He sidled up to you and whispered, eyes roaming the others to make sure they weren't overheard. 

"Let's wait for 10 minutes, and then disappear. I know the way through April's window. We can go. It's creepy down here." 

You grinned a little, "Good luck trying to get away from Leo. He's worse than a mother hen." 

Almost as if he heard you, Leo straightened and narrowed his eyes at you two. Mikey started humming the Jaws theme under his breath and you started laughing, raising a hand to try and stifle it. Leo walked over, eyes narrowing further. 

"What's so funny?" He asked suspiciously. 

Mikey stuck his tongue out and walked over to Raph, his sing-song voice echoing, "Whatcha doin', Raphie?" 

"Don' call me that, meat head," Raph grumbled, leaning against the wall by Casey. 

Leo shook his head and looked at you, searching your face, "How are you doing? Feeling alright?" 

You nodded your head, offering up a small smile to him, "Yeah. Just a little creepy down here. Mikey wants to sneak into April's place." 

"HEYY," Mikey shouted, looking at you in crushed betrayal, "WHY'D YOU TELL HIM OUR PLAN?!" 

As Mikey groaned and whined about having to stay in the 'murder shelter', Leo snickered and shook his head. You grinned and followed Leo over to where Master Splinter was setting up a sleeping bag for himself and lighting candles. He smiled at you as you neared, settling himself into a sitting position. 

"This will work well for us for a while, I think," He said, looking around, "Miss O'Neil and Mr. Jones have kindly offered to bring us food and drink whenever they can." You nodded, looking over your shoulder at April, who was kneeling with Donnie and Casey, who was arguing about something with Raph and Mikey. You felt a surge of gratefulness. You could see why they were loved and considered one of their family. 

"Master, how do you think we should proceed now?" Leo asked, kneeling with his head respectfully bowed in front of the older male. 

Splinter hummed softly, eyes wandering their current home thoughtfully. After a moment, he spoke, "I believe we should take tonight to rest and get out bearings. Tomorrow night we shall resume our plan." He glanced at you to gauge your reaction. You remained impassive, still feeling overwhelmed (especially with the relocation) but fighting to keep everyone elses' lives in mind. 

You knelt down beside Leo, head down a little, feeling a little awkward that you hadn't done it sooner. You were still getting used to the father-sensei dynamic that the family had. You had never had to be so formal around someone before - despite the fact that Splinter usually didn't ask for it or asked for them to get up didn't matter. Basic rules dictated that it should be done until specified otherwise by the sensei. 

"Rise, my children," Splinter hummed fondly, "I must meditate for a little while." 

You rose from the ground and smiled at the old rat before turning and screeching. You had turned and all you saw was a huge ass spider right in your face. You closed your eyes and batted at your face, skin crawling. You were sure that it was on you, and it took a few moments for you to realize that Mikey was laughing. You stopped and scowled, glaring at the male, who was doubled over. What had happened sank in - he had been dangling a spider behind you, trying to scare you. 

"You fucking asshole!" You screeched, flying forwards and punching every inch of the turtle that you could get. 

"Ow! Owww!! Geroff!!!!!" Mikey shouted, still laughing, but raising his hands to try and ward you off. 

Leo shook his head, Raph snickered as he leaned back and watched, and Donnie shook his head, calling, "Guys, try and keep it down. We aren't totally sound proof down here." 

You pressed your lips shut but still kept pinching at Mikey and punching him occasionally, skin still crawling. You hated spiders. Mikey's mask was slightly damp underneath his eyes from laughter tears, and seeing that made you pinch him a few more times. 

"Jesus!!! Stop!!! Abuse!!!!" He half-shouted, half-whispered, turning and fleeing to Raph. 

"Don' come to me. You did it." Raph said, moving away. 

Casey shook his head as Mikey turned to him, "You're in this alone, dude." 

Mikey turned and gave you a look of fear. You grinned. 

"Hey guys," April said, breaking the momentary mania, "Casey and I are going to go up top and go grocery shopping. We'll get you water and some food that you can keep down here. We probably won't be back until dusk at least, but we'll bring you as much as we can." She started heading towards the door, Casey clapping Raph on the shoulder and following. 

They left to choruses of, "Thank you,"s and, "Stay safe,"s. And then, there were 6. You turned and grabbed your bag from where you had dropped it by the stairs and rummaged around, grabbing an old book from the bottom. It was your comfort book - a tattered copy of a book called Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. Your mother used to read it to you when you were younger, and since then, you had always taken it with you. It was like a comfort blanket to you. 

Donnie had set up three other lights around the storage area on the one wall, and you chose the one closest. Curling up beside the light, thankful that it at least gave off a feeble bit of warmth, you started reading, only half paying attention to what was going on around you. It wasn't until Leo knelt right in front of you, waving his hand in your face, though, that you tuned back into reality. You blinked in confusion and looked up at him. 

"Sorry. I just figured that we should at least get some training in today. It'll warm this place up, too," He added apologetically, noticing the goosebumps over your skin. 

Although all you wanted to do was to sit there and read, you could see the merit in his words. You marked your page and stood up, putting your book to the side, and following Leo into the middle of the room. With everything that had been going on for the last 12 hours, you had forgotten you were sore. You were quickly reminded, though, on the first blow that you blocked. Shock and prickles of pain trickled down your forearms and you grimaced. Leo paused for a second to make sure that you were alright, before continuing. You ended your training by meditating on a sleeping bag that Leo had brought - you were relieved to see that between all of them, there were 6 sleeping bags and a few extra blankets. It was a good thing they had the foresight to bring everything with them, or else you would have had to sleep on the floor. 

It was well passed 10 that night when April and Casey returned, carrying 4 large and full shopping bags and two flats of water. Everyone jumped over to help them, and soon everyone was sitting in the middle of the room, drinking water and snacking on some chips and dried fruit. April and Casey stuck around for about an hour or so before heading off to April's apartment. 

"We'll keep an eye on things and let you know if there's anything weird going on," She said, taking the shell phone that Donnie handed her as they walked to the door again, "Have a good night, guys. Try not to get caught," She added with a wink at Mikey. 

As they left, Mikey muttered, "Why did she look at me when she said that?" 

"Because you're louder than an angry goose, Mike," Leo muttered, patting his younger brother's shoulder. 

"I am not!" Mikey spluttered, looking at you in disbelief, "Do you think I'm an angry goose?" 

You paused, trying to think of the best way to answer, and Mikey groaned, "You DO think I'm an angry goose." 

Donnie grinned and looked at Mikey, "I mean, you look like one. A big, noisy, green goose." 

Mikey narrowed his eyes, "At least MY green is a plant green, not a sick shell green." 

Donnie rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say, Mike." 

Mikey stuck his tongue out as his older brother passed and gave you a mock-angry look as you tried to hide your giggles. Leo yawned and stretched his arms over his head, his voice thick with sleep. 

"Who's going to take the first watch?" 

"I'll do it," Raph grunted, heading over to the stairs and sitting at the base of them, looking sullen and lonely. 

Leo nodded and walked over to his sleeping bag, wishing everyone a good night and disappearing under the thick blankets. Master Splinter was still silently meditating on his sleeping bag. If you hadn't known better, you would have thought he was a life-like statue. You were tired, but you weren't quite ready to sleep yet. Besides, the basement, though a little more comfortable than before, was still eerie. You cast a glance over your shoulder at Raph, who just nodded at you and looked off at the far wall, and then walked to your sleeping bag. 

You sat down and grabbed your book. Donnie had turned two of the three lights off before slipping into his bunk, leaving the one closest to you on. You didn't feel like reading for once, though, so you set your book off to the side and just sat there, not wanting to turn the last light off and plunge yourself into darkness. You also didn't want to behave like a child and move your bag closer to anyone else. You were saved from your irrational unease by the sound of someone dragging a bag close to you - Mikey appeared beside you with a shy look. You arched an eyebrow at him with a small smirk and he made a face. 

"If I sleep here, there's only a 50% chance that the murdered will choose me." You laughed, shaking your head. 

From somewhere behind them in the dark, Donnie muttered, "Yeah, but you're closer to the door." 

Mikey blinked and, obviously trying to ignore his words, said, "Yeah yeah, go to sleep, Don." 

You could have sworn you heard Donnie laugh, and you settled into your sleeping bag. Mikey followed suite, and the two of you rolled onto your sides, staring at each other. 

"You turn off the light," he whispered, blue eyes wide. 

"No, you do it," you whispered back, sure your eyes were just as wide. 

"You're closer." 

"You brought it up first." 

Mikey narrowed his eyes, lips pursing, his voice tight as he said, "You're the one Donnie left them on for." 

"Yeah, well you're more scared than I am," you shot back, arching an eyebrow. 

"No way." 

"Yeah way." 

"Oh really, then?" He said, his eyes suddenly sparkling mischievously. 

Instantly, you began to get suspicious, "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" 

"No reason," he said, voice eerily calm as he reached over you, turning the light off, "Go to sleep, _____." 

You frowned in the sudden darkness you were plunged into. You could hear Mikey shuffling back into his sleeping bag and the breathing of everyone else in the room. You heard Mikey shuffling beside you again and your heart started pounding. You eyes were straining open, trying to see through the complete darkness. You couldn't even see your hand in front of you. You gritted your teeth and closed your eyes. You were being stupid. If there was anything in this damn room, it would have been caught by now. Besides, Mikey was probably just planning on scaring you. 

After what felt like a tense lifetime, you started to drift off, curled up into a ball in your warm sleeping bag. Just as you were beginning to drift off, someone grabbed your shoulders and let out a scream like a banshee. 


	18. Phase 1 and 2 - Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! This chapter and last chapter were a little long, but there's a lot I'm packing into this story right now. I hope that you're enjoying it so far! I love when you guys leave messages, so feel free!

"_____________!!!!!!!!" 

You let out an ear shattering scream and struck out with your fists, sinking them into something soft that crunched. 

"Ouch!!! By DOSE!" 

The lights flickered on. Raph was rushing forwards, Sai's out, and the other two turtles were wrestling themselves from out of their sleeping bags. Master Splinter, who was still sitting up, opened his eyes in annoyance, eyes flashing in the sudden light. You were sitting up, shaking, clutching your fists to your chest, and Mikey was doubled over at the foot of your bag, cupping his nose. 

"What the hell is happening here?" Raph growled, chest heaving. 

"That's what I want to know," Splinter spoke up, voice rough as he grabbed his cane and walked over, tail flickering in annoyance. 

"H-H-H-H," you stuttered, trying to speak but also trying not to have a panic attack. 

Donnie knelt next to you, an arm over your shoulder, "Are you alright?" He asked, voice laced with concern. 

"Hey! Whad aboub be!?" Mikey slurred, looking up and pulling his hands away from a bleeding nose. 

"Serves you right," Leo snapped, putting two and two together, "What the hell were you thinking, Mikey? Someone probably heard you guys." 

Mikey opened his mouth to say something, but a crash overhead made everyone freeze. Leo and Raph glared at Mikey, and the two of them took off towards the stairs. Everyone sat, not daring to speak, waiting with bated breath. After a moment, Donnie stood and whispered, "Maybe I should go---" 

"NO MORE PROOOOBES"  ** _CRASH._**

Silence. 

Raphael and Leonardo came back down the stairs, eyes wide, confusion plain on their face. 

"What happened, my sons?" Master Splinter asked, stepping forwards, worried. 

Leo opened his mouth... and closed it again. Raphael did the same. The two of them looked at each other, and then started howling, laughing so hard that their voices echoed around the room. Everyone else exchanged confused looks. What the hell? At least it didn't seem like anything... bad had happened. 

Finally, after the two had calmed down enough to talk, Leo gasped, "We must have startled a homeless man. When we came upstairs, he was grumbling about aliens and demons, pulling his pants up as he shuffled to the door. He turned around and saw Raph and I standing in the door way, screamed, 'NO MORE PROOOOOBES' and threw himself out of the window." 

Everyone started laughing, even Master Splinter. Mikey snorted and blood splattered the ground - you recoiled, nose wrinkling but laughing even harder. After that incident, it took a while for everyone to settle down enough to fall asleep. Donnie moved his bag down inbetween you and Mikey, which you were thankful for, and tended to Mikey's bloody nose. You had cracked it but hadn't broken it. You felt bad about it, but at the same time you were suddenly plagued by constant heart palpitations when the lights were turned out. 

You finally fell asleep - a restless sleep, but sleep nonetheless. You were slipping in and out of dreams, small things that you couldn't remember when you woke up. When you woke up some time later, you noticed that you were alone in the room. Well, almost alone. Mikey was still passed out beside you, sleeping on his stomach and storing noisily into his pillow. You smiled a little and slipped out from your blankets, turned a light on, and grabbed your bag. You quickly changed into a pair of dark leggings and a long sleeved grey shirt, figuring that dark would probably work best to blend into things later that night. Speaking of night, what time was it even? 

Pulling your hair back into a pony tail, you quietly walked to the stairs, leaving the light on behind you for Mikey when he woke. You slipped up tentatively, hand resting on the doorknob. You listened carefully. You heard nothing other than the regular, fair noises of New York outside of the building. Where had everyone gone? It felt like it should be noon outside (after living in the sewers for a few months, though, you couldn't trust your gut on time anymore). You finally deemed it safe enough to open the door and peeked out, surveying the room. 

You were surprised to see that it was almost dusk. It had to be around 8 at night, at the latest. The sun was already setting. How late had they let you sleep? You frowned and quietly walked out, kicking a rock into the door (you didn't want to risk being locked out, as unlikely as they seemed). You walked around, peering out the windows as you passed, looking for any sign of them. You didn't think that you would be able to go outside without being noticed, so you retreated back down into the room with Mikey. He was still snoring away. 

A little unnerved by the silence, you walked over and shook Mikey open. 

"Hey, Mikey, wake up. Everyone's gone," As you spoke, you noticed that everyone's things were still down there. A few more water bottles were out. Maybe they were scouting? 

"Huh... ten more minutes mom..." Mikey murmured, burying his face into his pillow. 

You rolled your eyes and pulled the blankets off of him. He sat up, squacking at the cold, but pausing when he noticed that they were alone. 

"Where is everyone?" He asked thickly, yawning and rubbing his eyes. 

"That's what I was trying to ask you," you said softly. 

Mikey reached for his mask beside his sleeping bag and tied it on, yawning again. "What time is it?" 

"I don't know. Evening, I think." 

Mikey frowned, "We can't have slept for that long. It wasn't that late when we got back to sleep." 

You shrugged and stood, Mikey in toe this time. As the two of you reached the bottom of the stairs, the door opened. The two of you froze, eyes wide, until you saw Leo come in. His face was grim. He was alone. Your stomach dropped a little, a bad feeling tickling over your back. You moved away to let him down. 

"What's wrong, bro?" Mikey asked, eyebrows knit together in worry. 

"The bomb went off," Leo said thickly. 

Your heart dropped, "Oh my God. Is--" 

Leo waved his hand, "Everyone is fine. They're with April. Apparently, one of the Foot triggered the bomb and it killed them. Shredder won't be happy." 

Mikey broke into a grin, "Well, that means that we can go home, right!? No more spooky cellar of death?" 

Leo was silent, still not facing them. You frowned and stepped closer. 

"Leo? We can go back, right?" 

"They found the lair," He said, voice tight, "They took everything and destroyed what was left." 

You clasped a hand to your mouth, horror washing over you, "Oh my God..." 

Mikey deflated, the excitement from earlier dissipating to horror and anger. There was silence for a moment, before Leo said, "Help me get everything together. We're going to Casey's place." 

~~~~~~~ 

It was a long night, settling into yet another place. Casey had let you use his place and said he would stay with April. It was still cramped in the little apartment, and messy (you spent an hour just doing the dishes to make room for other crap to be moved to make room for you) but everyone was thankful. The mood that night was subdued. No joking around tonight, no laughter, and no jabs. You felt like ab outsider, you felt guilty and responsible for everything that had happened to them. Donatello, bless his heart, was trying to make you feel better by saying that this wasn't the first time that they had to start over. You did feel a little better when he pulled a hard drive from his bag carrying everything of importance from his computers, but he had forgotten the ooze specimen. 

It was gone. 

This was what Donatello was mad about - not losing his lab, his equipment, his home, but the fact that he had lost what he said was your chance to turn human. 

To have a live again. 

Raphael made it known that he was pissed his bike was gone and his weight room was gone (Splinter reminded him firmly that life was not about material pleasures, but only succeeded in chasing the sullen turtle away to the roof to breathe) and Mikey was oddly silent. Leonardo spent a lot of time meditating and showering (He was going to be the cleanest turtle in New York if he kept this up). April and Casey hadn't stayed long - they didn't want to draw attention to themselves. They had seen a member of the Foot handing around April's apartment before they left. Thankfully, Casey hadn't been in his apartment for a month at least, so there was little to no reason that they would suspect this place. 

Master Splinter had been given Casey's room to rest in. Though he complained, everyone insisted. He was meditating right now, door cracked open so that it didn't seem like he was locking people out. It was a silent night - Mikey turned the TV on but even he was only half watching it. You had set your sleeping back up by the couch after having a very heated battle with Leo about not taking the couch - you didn't want to take the couch. Leo insisted. You resisted. It would have gone on for hours if Mikey hadn't decided to end it himself and take the couch. 

You sat with your back against the arm of the couch, bent over your book but not taking in a word. Your thoughts were one huge mess right now. That was twice now that your plans had been upended by one crisis or another. You had never really been superstitious (maybe a little-stitious) but perhaps this was a sign of some sort? Around 2 in the morning, Leo and Don had fallen asleep. Raphael still hadn't returned, but nobody had really seemed worried. Mikey had fallen asleep on the couch watching Night of the Living Dead 2. You watched it only because you didn't know what else to do, and because you were worried about Raph. 

Sure, he could take care of himself, but with everything that was going on, you couldn't help it. 

An hour later, you heard Raphael climbing down the fire escape and jumping into the living room quietly. He closed the window and the blinds, and turned, surprised to see that you were still awake. You smiled weakly at him. He returned it half heartedly. 

"Couldn' sleep?" He asked gruffly, walking over to you. 

You shook your head, "I'm sorry about everything," you said, because you didn't know what else to say. 

Raph grunted, "Not your fault," and headed to the bathroom, "I'm gonna take a shower. Get some sleep." 

~~~ 

Third time's the charm, you thought. The plan was finally in motion. April had called on the shell phone and the plan had been made - you, April, Mikey and Don were all heading towards the old lab and your apartment. Leo, Raph, Splinter and Casey were scoping out the new lab. You were all going to have ear pieces to get ahold of each other in case something went wrong. It was just an information mission, something that you suspected was just as much about feeling like you were doing something as actually getting info to proceed with. 

You were meeting with April and Casey near the old lab, figuring less surveillance would be there to catch you, and then you would split. Once you had gotten information that you needed, you were to meet up back at the apartment. Although the threat of the first bomb was over, there was no telling whether or not they had made more. Besides, the lair was destroyed. They knew where they were, and no doubt would be waiting for them to return. 

Adrenaline pumped through your veins as you got yourself assembled. Your hair was up under a black cap, you wore a black turtle neck that April had lent you, with your black leggings and a pair of black flats. April was wearing similar. You two needed more work than the turtles did at blending into the background - they were trained in the shadows. After double and triple checking the plan, Leo finally decided that it was as solid as it was going to get. 

You were off. 

Under the cover of night fall, your group climbed up to the rooftops and headed off towards the direction of the old lab and your apartment. The second group split and took off down the alleys - the lab was close to where Casey's apartment was, conveniently enough. Your group was silent as you traveled, tension thrumming through like wind. Even Mikey wasn't up to his usual shenanigans.

As you neared the old lab, you slowed down. Hopping onto the rooftop overlooking the abandoned building, you peered over. It didn't look like there was anyone there, but you had only taken a token glance. Donnie and Mikey disappeared to do a more thorough perimeter check before you proceeded on. You sat on the roof, keeping your heads down, and chatted softly with April. 

"Are you nervous?" She asked. 

You quirked a grin, "What gave it away?" 

She chuckled a little, "You're doing better than I did on my first rooftop run." 

You grinned, "I've had a lot of practice lately." 

She suppressed a laugh and exhaled quickly instead, "True. It seems that the more you hang out with these guys the more rooftop adventures you have." 

You nodded, but before you could say anything back, Mikey and Donnie returned. The coast was clear. There was only one Foot on the opposite roof - he had a walkie talkie on him in case something happened. Donnie got rid of him, checked everywhere else and deemed it clear. Phase 1, complete. Phase two, underway. 

Donnie quietly spoke into the ear piece, informing the other group that everything was alright on our end and we would wait on their message before continuing. You had to admit, this was a smart way to stay connected, even when having to split up. Shame that a lot of the horror movie groups that split up didn't have this sort of thing. So many blonde lives could be saved. You whispered this to Mikey, who laughed softly. 

You chatted quietly about horror movies for a few moments, before your ear piece buzzed. 

" _Hey, Don, everything's good here. We're on the roof across from the new lab - it's lit up like a Christmas tree. Foot everywhere, lights on. We can't get any closer. We're going to stay here and stake things out, see if we can get closer some other way. Keep us updated."_

Mikey and Donnie headed into the lab first. You waited with April in the alley, eyes peeled for any sign of danger. A few moments passed and a rock tumbled out the window - the sign that they were good to come in. The two of you walked into the abandoned alley, and immediately the familiar smell of antiseptic and cleaner hit your nose. You shivered - not from cold, but from a wash of deja-vu. Though everything in it was gone save for the foundation, you could still picture the entrance hall. 

April reached out and briefly touched your arm reassuringly, and you set about, searching for clues. April covered the first floor, you went up to the second, and Donnie and Mikey floated around the third and fourth floor. As you wandered around, you hoped that your heart wasn't really as loud as you thought it was. It was hammering in your chest, nerves and adrenaline making you shaky. Just as you were about to hit the ear piece and say that the second floor was clear, you heard a tinkle of glass behind you. You froze and looked over your shoulder - a door was open that hadn't been open before. 

It was the door into the room that you had jumped out of the window from, what felt like years ago. Chills ran up and down your spine. You pressed the button on your ear and whispered, "Guys, I'm on the second floor. Someone's here." A few seconds later, Donnie said they were coming, and Leo told you to be careful (no shit). You hesitantly started towards the room, feeling a little more bold knowing that backup was coming. You poked your head into the room after glancing over your shoulder to make sure no one was behind you, ready to grab you. Seeing no one, you looked into the room. It was dark, but the street light brought enough light into the room that you could see there was no one there. Well, unless they were behind the door. 

Warmth rushed through you with panic at it's heels and you quickly pulled back from the room just as a figure flew from behind the wall. You yelped and struck out, your blow blocked easily and countered. You managed to block your stomach just in time, but missed a blow to your knees. You went down, but threw yourself backwards out of your assailant's way. You heard a curse and the figure flew at you. You yelped and managed a mangled but functioning back roll, narrowly missing a well aimed kick. You weren't sure how much longer you would be able to keep the upper hand, and you almost cried with relief as a figure with a shell tackled your attacker and pinned them against the ground. 

"Wha--- Oh shit!" 

You bolted up as Mikey grabbed you, making sure that you were alright. April rushed forwards to try and help Donnie - in the low light you could see the three shapes wrestling and grunting. You flew forwards to try and help. The figure pushed Donnie off and jumped up, backing up and surveying you. Some broken street lights flashed onto the attackers face, and you blinked - it looked like a woman, but you couldn't see her face. She wore a black cat mask with red marks all over it, like war paint. Unruly black hair framed the mask, and she wore a black body suit with a sword in her hand. She looked frightful, and you momentarily wondered how the hell she hadn't killed you right then and there. 

"Karai?" April spluttered, tone stunned. 

You glanced over at Mikey, who was staring in shock. You couldn't see Donnie's face, but you were sure it was the same. Who the hell was Karai? 

She said something too quickly for you to hear, and then she took off in a puff of smoke. Donnie turned, face pale in the light, and said, "We need to get out of here and get to Leo." 

He ran past you - the rest of the group followed. Your heart was pounding. 

"Leo? Leo, can you hear me? Can anyone hear me?" Donnie said, trying to get a hold of the other group.

"Shit!" He swore. 

A sudden high-pitched whining came from the ear buds - everyone dropped them, ear drums aching painfully. You shared a look and then took off. 

It was a set up. 


	19. Phase 3 - Trapt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Just a quick update, the next few chapters are going to be a little short! You'll see why once I upload them, but after these next few, it'll be back to my regular length! I hope that you like this! 
> 
> Also, I am aware that a lot of the comics and cartoons never refer to the fights with the Foot as killing or anything that harsh. For the sake of this story, since it's already a lot more adult than the cartoons, killing is a necessary evil. The reality of it is that it is inescapable in fights for your life, and incorporating that truth into this story, to be at least, brings more depth and believability to the character and the life. I hope that you're enjoying the story so far!

The next half an hour flew by in a blur of panic and wind. You fled the lab, just barely keeping up with the two brothers. April was even having trouble keeping up, huffing and puffing as she tried to jump rooftops at their pace. You nearly missed a jump at the beginning and your stomach dropped - you felt faint and nauseous for the rest of the run and felt yourself hesitating for every jump and falling behind. Finally, you reached your destination - a rooftop that was too high for even Donnie and Mikey to jump. You hopped onto the fire escape and started climbing. Your hands were slick with sweat, making it hard to grab onto the rusty steps. You were still lagging behind, and heard voices before you cleared the stairs. 

"...alright!?" 

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Came a rough reply that you placed as Raph. 

"What's going on?" Came Leo's worried voice and a patter of footsteps. 

You popped your head up and looked around - everyone was there and everyone was fine. You blinked, confused, climbing over the edge of the roof and walking over. Casey was walking over from his spot on the other end of the roof, a pair of binoculars around his neck. Master Splinter stood between Raph and Leo, eyes clouded with worry and tail twitching in anticipation. 

"We're fine," Leo said after Don had explained everything, "We've been waiting up here, watching. We haven't seen anything." 

"There's something back there," You piped up, voice cracking slightly as you tried to ignore the stitch in your side, "She was distracting us." 

"The set up was a set up!" Mikey exclaimed, fists clenching. 

Raph rolled his eyes at his brothers' comment and growled, "I say we go back there and figure out what was so important she had to send you off." 

Leo shook his head, "No. We need to be careful. If Karai is here... that means that the Shredder knew our plan. Which means, even if we're alright... he knows we're here, too." 

"We need to leave," Splinter said, voice sharp. 

Just as you were about to turn around, something grabbed you roughly from behind. You let out a loud yelp of surprise and struggled, trying to remember what Leo had taught you about getting out of a situation like that, but the person was huge. You could smell cigar smoke and sweat, a sickly combination that made your stomach churn. You couldn't see who it was, but the turtles certainly knew who he was. 

"No, that's not.. possible.." you heard Leo moan, eyes wide in shock. 

 _Well, this isn't good,_ you thought to yourself, eyes rapidly flickering between everyone.  _Go figure, he grabs me. I can't **do** anything. It's just like any other useless movie chick. _You thought bitterly. 

You heard a mean, deep laugh from behind you and your skin started crawling, "Hello,  _turtles._ Surprised to see me?" 

Mikey shook his head, muttering, "nononono" under his breath and April and Casey glanced at each other, faces pale and drawn. 

"The last time we saw you, you were in a wheelchair," growled Raph, recovering from his surprise fast and pulling his sais. 

"Looking good for a vegetable, hey green?" He rumbled, "We have-- you little bitch!" 

As Hun spoke, you noticed his grip was starting to slacken a little bit. Counting to three, you screwed up your face and twisted, throwing yourself to the right and ducking to the left. It worked, but just barely. He reached out and grabbed a handful of your hair as you flew down - damned ponytail - but you managed to pull away keeping the majority of it attached to your head. You threw yourself forwards, rolling as you hit the ground and trying to put as much distance between you and that monster. 

"Haha! She got you pretty good, meat head!" You heard Mikey cheer to your left. 

Leo helped you up and you looked over, wincing as you rubbed your scalp. A huge, hulking blond man stood where you had been moments before, small eyes dark with hate and lips turned in an awful snarl. He had a handful of red hair in his hand and you immediately checked to see if you had a bald spot. Nothing too noticeable, you decided, and you suddenly felt elated. You had gotten away. No chick flick moments for you. 

"Nice try, using those B-movie tricks," You jeered, getting a little carried away, "Sometimes grabbing the chick doesn't always work!" 

Leo shook his head at your comment and the man took an angry step forwards. As he advanced, black figures hopped up onto the roof on either side of him - the same black figures that Baxter brought to try and bring you in that first night. Goosebumps prickled over your skin and the hair on the back of your neck stood up. You looked over your shoulder - more were coming from the back. You were surrounded. You shared a look with Leo, who understood your pointed chin jerk over your shoulder. He shared a look with his brothers and Splinter. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw April and Casey flip around, their backs against yours. 

"What happened to  _you_?" The big man asked. 

You took in his appearance - he was a huge hulk of a man with long blond hair tied in a ratty braid down his back. He had tattoos down both arms and what looked like jagged scars on one end of his face, resulting in a twisted, intimidating profile. What startled you the most, however, was the look of absolute hatred that he met the rest of your party with. 

"What do you want, Hun? When did you start working with the Shredder again?" Leo asked, trying to keep his voice measured. 

Hun grinned, the contrast to his face more terrifying than the snarl, "I've never stopped working for him." Searching the gazes on the turtles' face, he let out a loud bark of laughter, "You didn't really think that the last time we met changed anything?" 

Donnie shook his head, information overloading his brain. Hun's smile widened. 

"Enough talk. I have orders to bring you in, and I intend to please." 

"Title of your sex tape," Mikey murmured, pulling his nun-chucks out and twirling them. 

"Really? That's all you got?" Raph said, voice laced with exasperation. 

"What? I'm under pressure here!" Mikey said defensively. 

"Goongala goongala!" Came Casey's battle cry beside you. 

"You're still saying that?" You heard Raph calling after him, incredulous. 

The fight began. Nothing could have prepared you for the reality of a battle, and you knew that this wasn't the worst that the turtles had been through. Your mind was racing and your body was working on autopilot, barely registering what you were doing before flying off to the next thing. You were grateful that the turtles seemed to have created a circle around you, trying to shield you from the worst of it. You were managing to hold your own at any rate, probably from sheer luck and adrenaline more than anything. 

One thing that you hadn't anticipated was how real the fighting was. You had never really spared it much thought, never really thought about the sharp and deadly weapons that the turtles carried on a daily basis. But as you watched them glint in the moonlight and grow more red with every second, the reality sank in like an anchor. The more that you hit them, the faster they seemed to get back up. 

"Stop playing with them," Raph shouted over his shoulder at you, "You gotta play a bit nastier if we're going to get out of this alive!" 

Sure enough, more foot were crawling the roof than when the fighting began. Your heart stuttered painfully - you didn't have a weapon. Due to the belief that this wasn't going to end in bloodshed, Leo hadn't given you a weapon. Well, shitty for you now. Leo seemed to think about that after hearing Raph's comment, though, because in a flash he was beside you handing off one of his own swords. He nodded apologetically and flew right back into the thick of things. You had no idea how to use a sword. 

Before you had time to think, a figure came rushing at you. Letting out an embarrassing yell, you struck out with the sword and felt it sink into your assailant's chest, heard the scream of pain, and felt the blade dip suddenly as the ninja crumbled. 

You had just killed someone. 

You had just single handedly ending someone's life. 

You couldn't let it sink in - you wanted to lean over and be sick, but you couldn't unless you wanted to die. You had to keep fighting, keep swinging the sword and keep hoping to make it out alive. 

Time in battle goes by a lot faster than you would think. With the adrenaline pumping and the panic that ensues from knowing one wrong movement could be your last move ever, time seems to hit a fast forward. You didn't know how long you were fighting for, you had no idea what had caused it, but suddenly you heard Leo yell, "They're retreating!" 

Sure enough, the remaining foot were hopping off the roof, scattering as fast as they had arrived. Hun was left, locked in battle with Splinter. Without even thinking, you turned and ran off towards him to try and help - with one swing of his massive meaty arm, Hun threw you back. You were airborn, the wind knocked from your lungs, and you hit the ground hard. Gasping like a fish out of water, stars swam in your eyes. Your body felt like it was full of vibrating bugs. Your hearing had gone funny, and you blacked out for a moment. 

When you came to, someone was holding your head in their lap. You blinked, trying to focus. and heard someone saying your name. 

"_____, hey, please wake up, they're gone. Oh man, dude, what if she dies? Even her gills are pale!" Mikey said from somewhere above you. 

"Move over," Came Donnie's impatient order. 

You were jostled a little bit, and then Donnie came into your view. 

"____! You're awake!" And then he shone an obnoxiously bright light into your eyes. 

"Motherfucker," you grunted, reaching up and slapping the light away while pinching your eyes shut. 

"I think she's alright," came a slightly amused voice near your feet. 

"Are you okay to stand?" Donnie asked as you blinked and pushed yourself up. 

Your head was spinning and felt like a thousand tiny people were stabbing your brain over and over. You shook your head and the pain ebbed a little bit. You opened your mouth to say you were alright, when you looked down at yourself. You were covered in blood, most not your own, and your borrowed sword lay scattered a few feet away. Without warning, your stomach lurched and with a pitiful, hoarse splutter, you vomited. Your stomach heaved, and you were barely aware of Mikey and Raph jumping away in disgust. Donnie patted your back, muttering soothing words, and April said something that you couldn't make out. 

After your stomach was emptied, you let out a sob as you scanned the bodies on the roof. Taking deep, rattling breaths, you tried to calm yourself down, swallowing the panic as more bile rose up your throat. You shook Donnie's hand off of your back and pushed yourself up to your feet, shaky and unsteady but strong. Closing your eyes momentarily, you gathered your bearings and looked at everyone. 

The turtles were a little banged up, but seemed on the whole fine. Master Splinter's robe was town in a few places, but he seemed fine as well. April was banged up pretty bad, leaning against Casey and breathing heavily. The side of Casey's face was bruised and bleeding, but he was grinning. 

"Duude, what did you eat?" Mikey said from behind you, staring at your puddle of sick. 

Donnie smacked him upside the head and looked at you, obviously trying to change the subject. 

"Are you going to be alright to head back to the apartment?" 

You nodded your head - you were going to have to be. Leo had taken his sword back while you were emptying your stomach, and took the lead back to Casey's apartment. It was a quiet trip - Raph hung back with you, along with Casey and April. He discreetly caught you a few times when you nearly lost your footing and didn't acknowledge it, to your relief. The adrenaline was wearing off - you were exhausted and your body  _hurt._ If you thought the soreness from training was bad, this was literal hell. Finally, you made it to the apartment. 

You hung back as Master Splinter and Leo scoped the area to make sure it was safe, and then you were finally inside. You swayed as the door closed behind you - April took your arm and quietly lead you into the bathroom. She closed the door behind you and looked at you, green eyes swimming with concern. You were shaking, you realized, but it had nothing to do with cold. She quietly ran the shower and ran a hand through your hair, pausing as you winced. It was tender. You were definitely feeling that tiny bald spot now, that was for sure. 

"I'm sorry," she murmured, and you knew that she wasn't talking about the hair. 

Tears filled your eyes. 

~~~~~~~

After you and April had cleaned up, you left the bathroom to the boys to argue over. Master Splinter lead the two of you into the bedroom and closed the door behind you, giving you some space. He sat near the door, meditating and silent. April only stayed for a moment, to make sure that you really were alright, before disappearing back out into the rest of the apartment. You sat on the bed, closing your eyes and attempting to meditate. 

It was no use - every time that you tried to clear your mind, the bloody sword and the fallen bodies swam back into your mind and jolted you. Splinter neither moved nor spoke, simply giving you space and quiet, and though you appreciated it, what you really needed right now was a distraction. You stood and whispered a thank you to him. Before you left the room, however, you felt his hand on your thigh. You looked down and met his intense yet gentle gaze. 

"It never gets easier, my child," He murmured softly, "But you will get stronger. I am filled with remorse that you had to be welcomed into our world in such a horrible way, but the most that we can do is acknowledge and heal." 

You smiled a little at him, thankful for his words but deciding that you would rather 'acknowledge' how you felt another time. A look of understanding passed through the old rat's eyes, and he smiled, giving your thigh a little squeeze before returning to his meditation. You paused for a moment, before opening the door and walking out. 

Casey was in the shower - the turtles had just finished cleaning and dressing their wounds. They stopped talking when you walked in - you noticed that April was missing. She must be with Casey, you thought, and you walked over shyly to the brothers, pulling your robe tightly around your body. Leo watched you warily, like you were a bomb that was about to go off. You resented that. Determined to show Leo that you were stronger then that (even though all you wanted to do right now was curl up into a tiny ball and scream), you sat on the ground near Mikey. 

"What now?" You asked, eyes flashing with determination. 


	20. Perspective [Leonardo #3]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying something new! A different perspective! Let me know what you think!

He couldn't just stand there and watch you fall apart. He couldn't. After all this time, after all the things that he could handle, seeing you fall apart wasn't one of them. He saw the war going on behind your eyes as you settled yourself down, fighting to be determined for the sake of keeping things together. He wanted to be able to pull you aside and tell you to run, to hide and get away. You didn't need this dark reality in your life, and he loathed being the one who was responsible for this happening in the first place. 

He had made the plan. He should have realized that after 2 thwarted attempts, it was time to think of something else. But he was so focused on getting information to bring their enemy down, that he let it get in the way of his leadership skills. He had lead his family into a trap, and he had torn something from your soul that there was no getting back. He remembered his first kill - they all did. It wasn't something that they liked doing, but when your very existence was a threat to someone, sometimes moral had to take a back seat. 

Leonardo envied your ability to show your distress. He knew that it was selfish and completely unwarranted, but he couldn't help feeling that, even for a moment. Being the leader meant that he had to be the example, he had to be the one that shone when the times were the darkest. He couldn't show weakness - in his experience, it lead to pain and suffering, and he couldn't put his family through that again. They had been in situations like this so much that that fight had been nothing to him, and he hadn't thought about you until he saw your body flying through the air. 

His stomach dropped and he had the sudden urge to drop his sword and run after you, make sure you were alright, but he couldn't. His father was in danger and needed help. 

He had been so  _stupid._ If he had just taken the message and changed their plan. If he had just planned things better - he had to have missed something. Why didn't he entertain the idea that the Shredder would figure their moves? He had been their biggest rival for  _years_. If anyone knew how they operated, it was him, and Leo had forgotten. It had been almost a year since they thought, yet again, that they had defeated him. But lo and behold, he was back. Again. 

If he had only given you a weapon, if he had only been able to show you how to use it and warn you about what a battle was actually like. 

Nothing could have prepared you for the reality, though. He knew that. But it didn't stop him from beating himself blue and purple over what he could have done better. Raphael wasn't helping (did he ever?), blaming Leo for not giving you a weapon. Like he didn't realize his mistake. But Leo couldn't bring himself to rise to Raph's anger - it was warranted. He could have caused your death that night, and for that he couldn't forgive himself. Donatello was in a state too, as was Mikey. They had all grown to care for you, Leonardo more than the others, perhaps. That night shook everyone. 

He expected you to stay in the room, recovering. April had disappeared with you into the shower and nobody argued. They all agreed that you needed the care first. When he saw you walk out of the room and sit yourself down, his heart skipped a beat. You were trying to be strong, he knew that, and he wanted to tell you that you didn't have to be. Nobody would blame you for falling apart. Though nobody would admit it, everyone had had their pieces shattered and brought back together at one point or another. Fixing each other was something that the Hamato family was very familiar with. 

But who was he to assume what was best for you? If you needed the distraction, he needed to let you be distracted. But he wanted you to know that he would be there and understand if you broke. But he couldn't say that to you. All he could do was stare at you, watch as you walked over, your face deathly pale and hair falling around your face. Your eyes were hollow and your lips were dry and cracking, but you were... beautiful. As he watched you, he tried to telepathically convey the way that he was feeling to you, but he knew that it wasn't possible. 

So, he just watched you. 


	21. Perspective [Michelangelo #3]

One of the many things that you could say about Mikey was that he was good at reading emotions. Just because he chose not to react to them properly didn't mean that he didn't read them and acknowledge them. He often tried to cheer people up with dumb humor, because that's what he was best at. Donnie got the brains, Raphie got the brawns, Leo got the strength to be a leader. That didn't really leave Mikey with much, to be fair, but he soon found out that he was good at being funny. Whenever his brothers were sad or angry, he tried to lighten the mood. 

In battles, he made light of things to keep his own panic in check. No matter how many times he fought, no matter how many times he felt the impact of his weapons hitting someone, he could never get used to it. The one time that he had tried to open up to Donnie about it, his brother had just patted him on the back and said he was too sensitive. Mikey hated that word. It was often said with a mocking tone, and Mikey didn't appreciate it. So, he used humor to deal with things. 

He couldn't use his humor forever, though, and he had wanted to just ignore that fact. Until he saw you flying through the air. He had had the wind knocked out of him from one last kick that a Foot ninja had managed to sneak under his ribs, but his own predicament didn't register when he heard your shout cut short, and saw your body, like some macabre rag doll, fly through the air. It was like time stopped, and for once, nothing witty came to mind. 

It was just silent. 

And then, he was flying to your side, lifting your head and trying to cradle it, hoping that your skull hadn't been cracked, hoping that you were alright. There was blood all over you, but after a quick, nervous look it didn't seem like a lot of it, if any, was yours. He had to hand it to you - you did good under pressure. You held your own and got away practically unscathed in your first battle - that was a pretty damn good achievement in Mikey's eyes. 

Donnie came over and started checking you over, reassuring Mikey that the blood wasn't yours. As for your head... he had to see if you had a concussion. Mikey knew that you probably did, but as long as you were alright, that's all that mattered. Donnie took Mikey's place, and he stepped back, chewing on the inside of his cheek and stepping to the side, watching your pale face. Your green skin was almost white. Your gills were twitching, and it made Mikey's stomach hurt. 

And then, you were awake! Mikey breathed a huge sigh of relief that he hid behind a cough when Raph looked at him weirdly. Despite his exclamation of disgust when he jumped out of the way of your sick, he felt horrible for you. All he wanted to do was to make this disappear, to go back to those few nights back at the lair, where the only thing one either of your minds was who was going to win the next round of Mario Kart or Call of Duty. He hated seeing you like this, and it made his stomach clench in an unfamiliar, uncomfortable way. Swallowing thickly, he tried to do what he did best - comedy. 

"Duude, what did you eat?" 

Donnie, rightly so, smacked him upside the head. How did his attempts at lightening the mood always end up in a headache one way or another? Maybe he just had to find new jokes. He thought he was the ghost of a smile on your face, though. Watching you walk like a ghost into the apartment was the worst of it - he was taken back to the first time that he had had to kill someone. It was one of the purple dragons - he had only ever told Leo about this, years ago, beside himself with horror. He had been topside, trying to find a way to get a hot pizza from a Domino's driver he had been following for the last block. He heard someone screaming and the sound of skin hitting skin and a sob. 

His hackles rose, pizza forgotten, and for a moment he considered popping back into the sewers and leaving. He had just turned 14, and he was still getting the lay of the world, as it were. But he thought of Leo - he wouldn't hesitate to rush and help someone who was in trouble, and as the sounds grew louder and more animal, Mikey made his decision. It was a dumb one, but the right one (at least, that's how he felt in the moment). He turned down the next alley over and froze - a man was straddling a screaming and crying woman on the ground, who was scratching and clawing, trying to get away. Her clothing was half torn off, and the man was  _laughing._

Mikey didn't stop to think, though his fathers words of caution did cross his mind briefly. He took off, taking his nun-chucks out (they were a birthday gift and he hadn't left his room without them since) and gritting his teeth. 

It was a quick fight - the gang member that he now knew was a Purple Dragon had him pinned in no time, the woman forgotten and running for the hills. 

"What tha hell are ya, ya little freak?" the man had slurred, stinking of sweat, drugs and alcohol. 

Mikey's gorge and panic rose and he struggled, trying to get out of the hold. He would have been a goner if Leo hadn't wondered where he had gone and come looking for him. Leo came to his rescue, but even his older brother was no match for the seasoned gang member. Mikey made a split second decision - he took one of his brothers fallen swords and made to club him upside the head with the handle, but in his panic ended up sticking it through his neck. 

He hadn't been the same since. 

He remembered that day more vividly than the day he had gotten his first video game. Sometimes it still haunted him, the look on Leo's face and the sounds the body had made. Even now, 6 years later, it still shook Mikey. Over time, as anyone would, he had desensitized to an extent - fighting the foot especially was no huge conscience killer. But watching as you went through the shock and the horror of the first time being in a serious, life or death battle... 

Mikey couldn't think of anything funny. 

April took you into the bathroom, and Mikey wanted to go in there, to be there for you when you were the most vulnerable. Donnie, who seemed to understand more than he even did, rested a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Leave her with April. There's nothing you can do." 

He watched as you briefly emerged, only to be ushered into the bedroom. Again, Donnie warned him against following. Mikey was restless - for once, it had nothing to do with their predicament so much as yours. He was distracted as Leo spoke, already trying to think up another game plan. He barely took in a word, and only really stirred when you came out from the bedroom, looking like you had just been brought back from death. He racked his brains, trying to think of something, anything he could say or to do try and get your cracked lips to turn up, even slightly. 

For once, he had nothing. 

All he wanted to do was to take you away. 


	22. Perspective [Donatello #3]

Donatello paced across the living room, trusting April to take care of you but also wanting to be the one who took care of you. You had a large bump on the back of your head that he wanted to inspect, and you had a concussion that needed to be treated. You were in shock, and he didn't want it to fester. He remembered how you had looked when you first came to them - you were so small in that bad. And you were just as small as you sailed through the air and hit the ground with a sickening thump. He was sure that you were fine - if it had been his brothers, as cold as it sounded, he wouldn't have been super worried. They had been through worse. Even April and Casey had lived through worse. But you? 

You had been brought into this world in the worst way possible, and now you had just killed not one person, but multiple. It was no wonder that you were like a walking corpse. He set about bustling through the kitchen. Casey had a coffee maker, but no coffee. Go figure. At least he could use it to make some hot water and brew some tea or hot chocolate or... something. With a quick look through the cupboards, though, Donnie realized that there was literally nothing. Casey was right - he was barely here anymore, usually working, at the gym or at April's place. (Or down in the sewers with them.) 

The restless energy faded away from him as fast as it had come, and he thumped into the bathroom once it was open. He let you pass, watching your face in concern and trying to make eye contact with April, who just shook her head. Donnie cleaned himself up and exited just as April came out of the bedroom. He walked over to his friend. He didn't have to ask - she could see the question and concern burning through his gaze. 

"She's alright. Just in shock. She's resting with Splinter right now." Her gaze met Casey's over Don's head, and she excused herself to go and talk to him. 

Donnie was still restless - he wanted to go in there. You should be resting with liquids, but he knew that you wouldn't. If he had learned anything about you, when you were agitated you had to have something to do, even if it was just watching TV. Your mind wouldn't let you just block things out. That's why you had trouble with meditating - Don had heard Leo grumbling about it a week or so ago after the last training session. 

Because there was nothing else to do, once everyone was cleaned up (Casey and April had gone into the bathroom once the turtles were cleaned up) the brothers sat in a circle, trying to come up with a plan. 

"He knew what we were planning. What the hell are we supposed to do now? He's going to figure it out," growled Raphael, nursing a split lip and black eye.

Leo was silent for a moment, before saying thoughtfully, "He won't expect us to retaliate so soon after that fight..." 

Mikey let out an exasperated noise, "Bro, no. We ain't going out tomorrow night or the night after. We. Are. Relaxing." He punctuated every word with a jab at every bruise on his body. 

Leo winced, "I'm not saying right away. Shredder probably assumes that he has a week or two grace period...." 

Leo fell silent, and one glance behind him answered why. You were walking towards them like a ghost, sleepwalking, swimming in a faded pink bath robe. Your hair was tied up, a little bit of green coming back to your features. Your gills looked tight and uncomfortable, and your lavender eyes were ringed with angry black marks. All things considered, you had held yourself up pretty well during that fight. Donnie was impressed that Hun's smack was the worst that you had gotten away with. 

Impressed or not, Donnie still felt responsible. He wanted to mother you, he wanted you to go and relax. Get some sleep. If he wasn't afraid to see what was in Casey's fridge, he would check to see if there was milk to make you a hot drink. The determination in your eyes was a false front - he could see how stiff your limbs were, how tired you were, and he just wanted to run his hands through your hair, even though his hands were big and green and clumsy. 

If only he hadn't forgotten the damn ooze, then maybe he could have found a way to save you from this life. 


	23. Perspective [Raphael #3]

The fight was bringing life into Raphael's cool limbs. He had been itching for a fight ever since he had seen the destruction that the Foot had left in his home. All of their things, all of their memories, destroyed. Thankfully, the most important stuff had been saved (thanks to Don), but it was the intrusion that rankled. Raphael didn't really care about the material things, it was the sanctuary of his home being destroyed that filled his veins with fire. 

Bottling it up wasn't good for Raphael, which is why he never really did. He got his anger out sooner rather than later, because it was easier. He didn't like emotions, so he tried to push all of them away with the one that he was most used to - anger. He was a war machine, dropping foot ninjas right, left and center. He was laughing like a psychopath, dropping one liners with his brothers like old times. With one difference - he had a blind spot now. You.

He couldn't afford to completely loose himself in the battle this time. He kept an eye on you, silently cheering you on with every blow that you deflected, every ninja that you dropped. While he was sure that it was fear and adrenaline that was fueling you more than confidence, he was still impressed. Not impressed enough to leave you alone, however. He kept near you, trying to stay positioned so that you were in his peripheral. 

It was bliss. He could scream and fight and let everything out without consequences. 

Don't get him wrong - he hated killing without a just cause. Serial killers, he never understood. Fighting for honor, whether your own or someone you loves' honor, is what Raphael cared about. His honor was in his family, and his family had been threatened. And, as unlikely as it seemed, you were a part of the family now. 

When the foot started retreating, Raphael was almost disappointed. Until he saw that great lug Hun, still engaged in a close combat with Splinter. If you hadn't of run off right away, Raphael would have. He had a brief moment of pride, watching as you barreled into the fray to help Splinter, but a split-second too late, he realized it wasn't going to end well. He shouted for you, but too late - you were sailing through the air. 

Raphael saw red - he charged at Hun with Leo, weapons drawn and an angry yell ripping from his throat. Sailing over his father, Raphael landed a jaw-cracking kick into the blond tank, succeeding in staggering him. And then, he was gone. Just like that, gone, like the Foot. For a moment he had a wild flashback to every other fight involving the Foot ever - they rarely retreated without good reason, and sometimes that reason meant that the king chess piece had entered the field. It seemed like they were fine this time, though, and Raphael was jarred back to reality when he heard Donnie's harried words. 

He turned and walked with April and Casey, making sure that they were alright, before walking over to make sure that you were alright. He chuckled as you swore and batted Donnie's light away. 

"I think she's alright," He said, coming up from your feet to your side, jostling Mikey off to the side playfully. 

Before Mikey could retaliate, though, the sound of your retching caught him just in time - he shot backwards and narrowly avoided being vomited on. He couldn't blame you, as disgusting as the reaction was. He looked away from the puddle of sick, both giving you a little privacy and surveying the damage. He was sure that the foot would clean up after they were gone - they were too tired from the unexpected attack to clean up themselves. 

The travel home was a quiet one. He could see you struggling to keep up, nearly falling off of the rooftops as you moved. Raphael hung back, gently catching you and steadying you. He knew that you didn't want to give Donnie anymore reason to hover (as it was he kept staring at you like you were about to keel over and die, which all things considered, it looked like you were about to do) so he kept quiet, offering you his arm or putting a hand around your waist to right you. He couldn't help but notice that you were shivering like mad anytime that he touched you. He wanted to pull you into his arms to stop you from shaking. The urge made his stomach clench painfully. 

He watched from the doorway as April lead you into the bathroom, part of him wanting to follow to make sure that you were alright. He shook his head and turned to the sink, grabbing a glass and chugging water. It wasn't until he saw the red smearing across the glass that he noticed he had a split lip. Huh. He grabbed a piece of paper towel and pressed it against his lip to stop the bleeding. While he was taking inventory of damages, he could feel his left eye throbbing - that was going to swell soon. He opened Casey's freezer and grabbed a thing of frozen peas so old it was like a brick of ice. He pressed it against his eye and hobbled to the couch. 

"Don't you look pretty," Casey teased, sticking his foot out and trying to trip Raph. 

"Fuck off, caveman," Raph spat back with a crooked grin that split his lip again. 

He fell silent as you emerged from the bathroom - Casey watched April and Raph watched you. When you disappeared into the bedroom, it was like they were jerked out of something. Raphael leaned forwards, frowning. 

"You been quiet lately. What's up with you?" 

"Don't wanna scare _____," Casey said, not quite meeting Raph's eyes. 

"Dude. What's up?" Raph prodded, still pressing the peas and paper towel to his face, searching his friends' face. 

"You'll see," Casey said, shooting him a mischievous grin as April emerged from the bathroom. 

As they disappeared into the bathroom, Raphael watched curiously. Huh. He stood and walked to the kitchen sink, throwing the paper towel out and grabbing a fresh few pieces and wiping his face down as much as he could. Once he deemed himself clean, he walked back to his brothers, bag of peas still on his eye. He sat down as Leo was lecturing about another game plan. 

"He knew what we were planning. What the hell are we supposed to do now? He's going to figure it out," he growled irritably, his sore muscles and fatigue finally catching up to him. 

He tuned out the rest of the conversation as Leo prattled on about not expecting a quick retaliation. While Raphael wouldn't mind getting back out there, he thought of your face when you walked into the apartment and the proper light hit your face. You were paper white, the green in your skin nearly gone. You gills looked like old, dried up cuts. You weren't ready, and neither were Casey and April, or Mikey and Don for that matter. As for Splinter... well, as he got older, Raphael hated having him in fights more and more, but he knew that there was nothing he could say to persuade his father to take it easy, so he kept quiet. 

He was jolted out of his angsty thoughts by the bedroom door opening and you walking from it. You had some color back in your face, and other than the haunted look on your face, you seemed to be faring a little better than he had expected from your first actual fight. Your eyes flashed as you sat down. 

"What now?" 

Raphael couldn't help but grin.  _That's my girl,_ he thought nonchalantly, before freezing.  _No, she ain't my girl, what the hell where did that come from?_


	24. Dreamland

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO I apologize if this chapter is a little crappy, it's more of a filler chapter to sort of move the story along to where I want it to go! I promise that the chapters will be better coming up!!

_"What are you thinking about?"_

_You couldn't see anything - it took you a moment to realize that you had something wrapped around your eyes. A bandanna. You smiled a secret little smile, goosebumps rising delicately over your bare skin. You heard movement around you - he was moving in front of you. You could feel his breath against your cheek._

_"Focus on my voice."_

_His voice made your skin tingle - silence fell over your ears. You frowned and turned your head, ears straining for any sound of movement. Nothing. Your lips parted, about to call out for him, but you bit down on your tongue when you felt breath against the back of your neck, tickling your skin and gently brushing the hair at the nape of your neck. You felt hands around your waist, pulling you close to a warm, solid body behind you. Heat rushed down your body, settling somewhere that made you blush._

_"You're losing focus," he whispered softly, teasing, his rough fingers slipping underneath your shirt and tracing circles on your stomach._

_You shivered into his touch and whispered, "You're not helping."_

_"To be a ninja, you need to be able to keep focused, no matter what's going on around you." You sensed amusement, almost mocking in the voice and you scowled a little._

_"Are you teasing me?" You asked breathlessly, trying to sound accusing but falling short._

_The hands slowly started to move a little lower, "I haven't even started."_

~~~~~~

You woke with a start, chest heaving and the most unladylike flush over your body. You blinked, staring at the ceiling in silence, the memory of the dream fading but the heat still thumping through you. 

"Are you alright?" 

A hand slapped against your forehead, "Dude, she's burning up," came Mikey's voice from beside you. 

The hand retreated and Donnie rushed over with a cool cloth, "Hey, _____, you alright?" 

Your cheeks flaming with embarrassment, you pushed him off and sat up abruptly (you regretted this as your aching muscles screamed), nodding and snapping, "I'm fine." 

Donnie leaned back, eyeing you as if he was debating pushing you back down, but you stood before he had the chance and walked over to the bathroom. Half way to your destination, a flash of green and red stopped you, and Raphael was pushing his face in yours, pinching your cheeks. 

"She's really warm. Her eyes are dilated. Donnie?" 

You sighed in exasperation and opened your mouth to speak, but before you could get out more than, "Guys, it--" a thermometer was shoved in your mouth. 

You gagged, recoiling and spitting the object out, glaring as Leo pulled his arm back and inspected the thermometer. 

"Yeah, she's warm," he said, turning and passing it to Donnie, who grabbed it, inspected it and looked at you calculatedly. 

"Guys, I--" 

"Maybe she's still in shock," Leo suggested, looking at you sympathetically. 

"Or maybe she--" Mikey started, but you had hit your fuse. 

"OR MAYBE SHE'S PERFECTLY FINE AND JUST WANTS TO PISS." You shouted, glaring at them. 

They were silent for a moment, before Donnie sidled over to Leo and muttered, "She seems moody. Maybe it's her time of the month? April gets like this a lot when it's--" 

You threw your arms over your head and let out an aggravated noise. You stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it, sitting on the edge of the bathtub and putting your head in your hands. It had been a long night last night, for more reasons than just the fight. After spending almost 20 minutes convincing them that you were fine and just needed to  _do_ something, you listened as they started to formulate a plan. Somewhere during the planning, you had fallen asleep and only roused long enough to see Donnie tucking you under a blanket on the couch. You couldn't remember the plan, try as you might. You'd have to ask what they had come up with. 

Maybe you should see if Donnie knew anything about therapy, because you were pretty sure that after the night you had had, sexy dreams should have been the last thing your scarred psyche should have come up with. You felt uneasy and embarrassed about it, briefly wondering if something was wrong with you, but you put the thought out of your mind and stood up, stretching and going about your bathroom business. Once you had relieved yourself, brushed your teeth (you had brought your stuff in last night... or had that been April?) and combed your hair into a messy bun at the top of your head, you exited the bathroom to see the brothers sitting with Casey in the living room, heads pressed together. 

Once they saw you, they jumped apart and looked at you warily. April bumped your hip with hers on her way to the bathroom and whispered, "They think you're on your period so they're grilling Casey on what to do." 

You couldn't help it - you laughed. 

They glanced at each other uneasily. Leo stood up and cleared his throat, "April brought breakfast. Do you, ah, want tea or coffee?" 

You arched an eyebrow, "Coffee." 

He started towards the table and you snorted, "I can get it myself, you know." 

"Yeah, yeah, no for sure, for sure, sorry, ______." He slowly walked backwards to his seat, watching you carefully. 

You laughed, louder this time, making Mikey jump, "I'm not on my period." 

Mikey let out a whoop of relief, "Oh my God, thank God, because, like, we were ready for you to, like, murder us, and it would be extra scary, cause like," 

Donnie finished the sentence, "Women know the best ways to get blood out of things." 

Leo and Raph nodded their heads, eyes wide and lips pressed into a serious line. Casey was carefully expressionless, standing and sauntering over to April as she exited the bathroom. He kissed her on the cheek. 

"Casey was tellin' us some horror stories about April when she's raggin'," Raphael spoke up, causing Casey to shoot a horrified look at him, wringing his hands and mouthing for him to stop, but Raphael ignored him, "So, like, just give us a heads up when..well, that stuff happens so we can, y'know, leave you alone or get you some chocolate or whatever you like.." 

You looked at the four turtles sitting on the couch, eyes wide and innocent, then over at April, who had her arms crossed and turned a glare to her boyfriend, foot tapping. 

"When I'm 'ragging'?" She hissed, eyes narrowing. 

Casey cleared his throat, "Awe, come on babe, I was totally jokin', trying to freak them out," his voice was pleading. 

You turned away to pour yourself some coffee, grinning to yourself, listening as April started pinching him. Splinter slipped out of the bedroom and paused, watching as Casey yelped, cowering against the wall with April pinching at him and growling, "Ragging? RAGGING?" 

He blinked, looked at his sons and bowed a brief good morning, then walked over to where you were pouring creamer into your mug. He wished you a soft good morning, pausing and raising his eyebrows as the shrieking continued behind you. You smiled a little at him, stirring your coffee, and grabbed a blueberry muffin. Donnie had gone into the bathroom, Leonardo stood and walked over to Splinter, and you took his spot on the couch, between Raph and Mikey. You put your coffee on the table and took a bite of the muffin.

Mikey grabbed your coffee and took a sip. 

"Hey!" You said, putting your muffin on the table and grabbing your coffee. 

"You make some good coffee," Mikey said, licking his lips. 

You rolled your eyes and turned. "Hey!!" You said, again, as Raph took a bite out of your muffin. You put your coffee down and snatched your muffin. 

You turned a warning glare on Mikey who had started reaching for your mug, and let out an exasperated sigh as Raph grabbed the beverage and took a sip. You snatched it from his hand with your free one and scowled at him as he said, "Yeah, not bad. A little sweet, though." 

You opened your mouth to retort, but you felt something brush the hand holding your muffin. You turned and had to close your eyes and take a deep breath. 

"There's a wild Mikey on my muffin," You said, yanking your now half eaten muffin from Mikey, who blinked innocently at you. 

You stood and walked into the living room, leaving your coffee and the rest of your muffin behind and making a new cup of coffee. Casey had disappeared into his bedroom to change and April took your spot on the couch, arms crossed. There weren't anymore blueberry muffins, so you grabbed a bran muffin and sat at the table, watching as Raphael inhaled the rest of the muffin and Mikey sipped the mug, pointedly  _not_ looking at you. You rolled your eyes as Raph made eye contact and grinned at you. 

Donnie walked out of the bathroom and grabbed a carrot cake muffin and sat beside you, "How are you feeling?" He asked, voice soft. 

You nodded, "Alright." 

He searched your gaze carefully for a moment before chomping down on his muffin. The rest of the morning went by relatively calmly. It wasn't until half passed noon that Leonardo cleared his throat. You were sitting on the couch, leaning against the arm and pushing Mikey's legs off of your lap. The TV was on, volume low, more of background noise than anything. 

"We need to move, fast. Our plan last night ended horribly, and that's because the Shredder  _knew_ what we were planning before we even planned it. He knows how we function, so we need to change it up, and move fast. We can't stay here forever, so we need to find another place to stay." 

"Yeah, sure, easy enough," Raph groused, crossing his arms and sinking into the cough sullenly, "We just keep jumping place to place, y'know, cause we have  _soooo_ many places to choose from." 

Leo scowled, "There's one place we haven't gone, yet." 

~~~~~~

Several hours later, it was back to the sewers. You were more cautious than before, despite Leo's reassurances that that was the last place that Shredder would assume them to be. He was confident from what they had managed to overhear from the compound that they had given up on the bomb after the disastrous first attempt, but they weren't totally sure that there were no foot left in the sewers. The trip was uneventful, though - laden with your things, you trooped deeper into the sewers than you had been before, making a pit stop at what was left of the lair. 

You were flabbergasted. The carnage was horrible, but mostly because of the electronics. The foundation damage, as Donnie had said, was repairable... as long as they had the time to do it, which now wasn't. All in all, it was salvageable, thank God, but their lair was compromised. They couldn't stay there, and even if they decided to try and rebuild, the Foot had found them. It would only be a matter of time before it was crashed again. So... they had to find a new home. 

Currently, you were on the way to visit an old friend of the Hamato family, a friend that they had completely forgotten about until now. As you trudged along warily, Mikey could hardly keep from skipping through the water, grinning and twirling. 

"I can't  _believe_ we forgot about old Leatherhead!" He said. 

 _Leatherhead?_ You thought to yourself for probably the 4th time that hour alone,  _Who the fuck is this guy?_

After what felt like hours of walking (you were still horribly sore, so it made things that much worse) you came across a black door nestled in a corner near a drop off, where the water was falling. You stood near the back (April and Casey had headed to her apartment for the time being) as Leonardo knocked on the door. There was silence for a moment, before a rough voice came from behind the door. 

"Who is there?" 

"Leatherhead, it's Leonardo and the rest of my family. We've come to ask you for help, old friend." 

"Leonardo?" Said the voice, some of the roughness dissipating. 

The door opened and you froze, stunned. A huge, mutated alligator emerged, eyes wide and mouth parted in surprise. He wore a large white scientists jacket and had a purple sash around his waist, with small glasses perched on his snout. 

"Well, well!" He said, face breaking into a grin, "It certainly has been a while!" 

He ushered you all in, pausing as you brought up the rear. He eyed you warily, but seemed to decide that if you were in the Hamato family's company you were to be trusted. He closed the door behind you and immediately you noticed how humid it was in the room. You looked around, eyes wide, trying not to think about the rows of teeth that Leatherhead displayed as he spoke, smiled... or moved. You were in a large entry way that opened up into a lair that was almost twice the size of the turtles'. It was filled with science experiments, technological advancements and... boy band posters? That jarred you enough to bring you back to the conversation. 

"I'm sorry we couldn't have come with better tidings," Leo started after pulling away from a friendly one-armed hug, "But we've run into a spot of trouble." 

Leatherhead's face darkened, "Does that trouble have something to do with the amount of Foot that have been running through the sewers the past few days?" 

Leonardo nodded and winced a little bit. Splinter spoke up next, taking a few steps forwards, "We must sit. This will be a long story." 

An hour later, you were seated around a large dinner table with some snacks laid out, finishing up the finer details of the story. Once finished, Leatherhead let out a whistled through his teeth and shook his head, silent. After a moment, he looked at you and gave you what you assumed to be a friendly smile. 

"Welcome to the mutant life, my girl," He said, his voice laced with bitter amusement, "I am sorry that it happened this way." 

You smiled hesitantly at him, slowly warming up to the large reptile, "Shit happens." 

He laughed, a loud booming sound that made you jump a little bit, "Yes, indeed, shit does happen. Why does shit always happen with that big metal guy?" 

Raphael grinned, "Shredder don't know what's comin' to him this time." 

Mikey, who was shoving his face full of snacks, let out a loud burp and munched happily. With a nasty look at his brother, Donatello cleared his throat and leaned forwards. 

"We were wondering if we could stay here for a little while. We will be out of your teeth as soon as we can come up with a plan, it's just--"

"You have no safe place to go," Leatherhead finished, nodding his head, "You are welcome to stay as long as you need. It is nice to have company. It does get quite lonely here." 

You felt a small surge of sympathy for Leatherhead, and decided that you liked this guy. He was a lot like Donatello, you mused, as he stood and showed the purple turtle a new scientific experiment he was working on. Mikey handed you a bag of half eaten fritos, and you took a handful with a smile of thanks. Munching, you stood and wandered around, keeping your hands to yourself... until you stumbled upon a room just beyond the living area that was wall to ceiling books. 

They were books of damn near every single genre ever written. Everything ranging from classic poetry, to young adult, even to children's books. Wiping your fingers on your pants, you eagerly started to peruse the selection, pulling a book out every now and then out of curiosity. You noticed, with a grin, that it was organized by genre and alphabetically. You barely noticed Leatherhead walking in behind you, and you jumped at his voice. 

"It is nice to have somebody else in this library," He said, smiling kindly at you, "Feel free to take and read whatever you like." 

"Thank you," you said with a smile, "How did you get such an amazing collection?" You were holding an original copy of Sherlock Holmes like a baby. 

Leatherhead grinned at you, "Donatello and his brothers have been very kind to me," He said, and then added, "Also, there is an old book store that closed down a few years ago because the owner passed away. He had nobody to take over, and they were just going to take all of the books away. I knew the man," He said, his voice taking on a soft, sad tone, "He was a good man. He did not fear me. He brought me books, and when he knew that he was sick, he gave me a key to his store and told me to take what I wanted. I took them all." 

You smiled, heart melting slightly, "That's amazing. He sounds like a good man." 

Leatherhead nodded, the smile falling away, "That he was." 

There was an awkward silence that was broken by Leo calling you into the living room again. You smiled politely at Leatherhead and, after carefully putting the Sherlock Holmes back on the bookshelf, returned to the main room. The turtles were kneeling on the floor, Master Splinter seated in front of them. You took your spot next to Leo, kneeling as well. Leatherhead sat at the table, watching silently. 

"My children, Leatherhead has very kindly let us hide here for as long as we need. As far as we know, they do not know of Leatherhead's continued existence, let along his living quarters, so we are as safe as we can be here. There is a manhole that leads topside within his home, which makes things both easier and harder. We must be careful not to lead anyone so this safe place, so in the interest of our host, we shall not use that entrance."

He was silent for a moment before continuing, "As Leonardo said before, the Shredder has anticipated our recent plan of attack. We must recuperate and change the way that we plan things from here on out, which means enlisting Leatherhead and ______ to put their ideas into the plan, to add a different twist that our enemy will not anticipate." 

You blinked - how did he expect you to be able to come up with a plan? You could barely fight. You barely had time to ponder things before Master Splinter went on, his voice calm, "For tonight, though, we shall rest and take some time to decompress." 

You were relieved to have a rest day, though the longer that you were awake, the more your mind started to dwell on last night. You were thinking longingly of disappearing into the library, when Mikey rolled over to you, holding two DS's in his hand and had the game card for Mario Kart between his teeth. He grinned at you. You sighed, caving, and grabbed one with a grin on his face. You gamed for a few hours, until your eyes started to sting from the light, and you wandered to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. You passed Leonardo and Leatherhead, who sat in conversation at the table. 

"You know that I will do anything to help you as you have helped me," Leatherhead said around a sip of water. 

"Thank you for that," Leonardo said, "You don't know how much we appreciate this. This entire month has just been... a wild ride." 

"I bet," Leatherhead said with a chuckle. 

The night was uneventful. Well, mostly uneventful. Mikey and Raph got into an argument and started to wrestle, toppling over one of Leatherhead's tables with scales on them, shattering one of them. Once things were put back into place, you disappeared into the library, settling in a bean bag chair in a corner and grabbing a book series that you hadn't read in at least a year. Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. You were surprised at seeing it in the bookcase, even more surprised at seeing how well worn it was. You noticed with some amusement that Leatherhead had scribbled notes on little post its and stuck them in the pages. From what you could read, you saw that he had been using it to learn English. You grinned and settled in, reading quietly for about a quarter of an hour before Raphael walked in with a mug of tea. 

"Uh, Hey," He said awkwardly, pausing in front of you and almost robotically setting the mug beside your beanbag, "I, uh, didn't know how ya liked yer tea so I just put some honey in it." 

You smiled, leaning forwards and taking the mug happily, "Thank you, Raph." 

He smiled a little at you, rocked backwards on his heels for a moment, before clearing his throat and saying, "Leatherhead only has four bedrooms. Master Splinter has one and Leo wanted to know which one you wanted. I'm gonna take the couch." 

You nodded, "Alright. I'll choose one in a little bit, if that's alright?" 

"Yeah," Raph said, "That's alright." 

He was silent for a moment, before turning back to the living room. He hesitated for a moment and turned back around, rubbing the back of his neck, "Just so ya know, if ya need to talk to anyone or.. just get some air, let me know, alright?" 

You nodded, watching as he adverted his gaze and fiddled his thumbs, "Thanks, Raph." 

"Anytime," He said, apparently awkward at your gratitude. He practically fled. 

You smiled a little, turning back to your book. Somewhere between the first dream of Percy meeting Kronos in Tartarus, you fell asleep, curled up on the beanbag and still holding the book. 


	25. The Next Step

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop, another character choice coming up!

One day of rest turned into two, and then three. You were starting to get restless. Your peace of mind had started to deteriorate from your thoughts and frustration at lack of action. Raph and Mikey had started getting restless, too. Leatherhead didn't have any gaming consoles, nor did he have cable, so Mikey's attention spare wore out pretty fast. He only had a few DS games, and only the one, Mario Kart, multiplayer. Between the three of you, you had unlocked all of the levels and played them to death. Donatello was having the time of his life with Leatherhead, disappearing into his lab most hours of the day. Leonardo meditated and trained, occasionally going topside. Master Splinter was silent and calm, which was all the more frustrating to you. 

April and Casey had stopped by once, but they couldn't stay. They said that the foot were watching their apartment. They had to crash at a friends' place, and weren't sure when they were going to be able to safely stop by. Since then, they hadn't been able to come back, but Leonardo was sure that they were fine. They could take care of themselves. 

On the evening of the third day, you couldn't stop yourself. Leonardo had just come back from patrolling the area to give a clear report, and Raph and Mikey had been getting on your last nerve. Raphael had spent the last half an hour arguing with the younger brother about who, out of Alien and Batman, would win in a fight. You sat between them on the couch, a book open in front of you but you had long since given up on reading. It was more to keep from being dragged into the argument. 

"But Batman is literally just a hyped up human who has no actual abilities other than money and a British butler!" Mikey whined to a stone faced Raph. 

"That's why he's going to win," Raphael countered, his voice forced calm, like he was trying to talk to someone who was a little slow, "Batman learned all of his skills, and he has the benefit of  _not_ being driven by instincts alone. He can stop and logically think things through, which Alien can't!" 

Mikey groaned in frustration, quite literally pulling at his mask in frustration and fidgeting on the couch, "Acting on instinct alone is what makes Alien the clear winner though! Face it, the instincts that he's operating on are from a  _different world!_ Basic animal instincts can be understood and prevented and worked around, but Alien instincts are as different from normal animals like the sun is different from the moon! Batman has a HUGE disadvantage BECAUSE he can stop and think things through! He hesitates, he's human, which means that he cares more about his own safety and the safety of others so that means he's more distracted! The Alien really doesn't give a shit - it can regenerate, it can make babies like nobody's business, it really doesn't care about it's own safety! It will keep on going until it--" 

"BUT that's where you're wrong, Mike!" Raphael growled, turning on the couch and narrowing his eyes, "What you call a disadvantage from Batman is a completely human ADVANTAGE. The Alien doesn't register a feeling of self-preservation which makes it more aggressive, yes, but it also makes it more sloppy when faced with someone who can logically think about things! Batman knows when to take a step back and he can calculate the moves, seek out patterns, and--" 

"OH MY GOD," You shouted, slamming your book shut and making everyone jump, "JUST SHUT UP.  _LEO!"_

Leonardo, who had just opened the fridge for a bottle of water, froze, shoulders stiffening. He turned very slowly, turning wide eyes to you. You stood and stalked over to him, ignoring Donnie and Leatherhead poking their heads out of the lab to see what was going on. Master Splinter sat silently, nursing a cup of coffee at the table, watching with mild amusement. 

"LEO WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PLAN? BECAUSE IF I HAVE TO SIT HERE FOR ANOTHER  _MINUTE_ LISTENING TO THESE BONE HEADS DISCUSS WHAT FICTIONAL BONE HEAD CAN BEAT WHOEVER I AM GOING TO FUCKING LOSE MY MIND." 

Leonardo stepped back against the counter, clearing his throat and saying in a wary voice, "Hey, I get it. I have a plan, alright? I'll go and get Donnie and Leatherhead and... just sit in the living area, I'll be right back." 

He practically fled. Master Splinter looked at you with a kind smile and said, "Would you like some coffee, my child? Or some tea, perhaps, to calm the nerves?" 

Still breathing heavily, you hesitated, before nodding, "Tea would be lovely." 

Master Splinter smiled and gestured for you to sit at the table while he got up and started the kettle. You lowered yourself into the chair, trying to ignore the whispering from Raph and Mikey, watching you warily. After a few moments, everyone gathered into the living area. Leatherhead sat beside you, Master Splinter back in his seat, and the four brothers scattered through the kitchen. Mikey was perched on the sink, Raph leaned against the fridge, Donnie seated in between Leatherhead and Master Splinter. Leonardo stood in front of the table, arms crossed and determinedly  _not_ making eye contact with you. You smirked. 

"Alright. I know that we've been laying low for a little longer than we had originally planned, but there's a reason for that. The new base that Baxter seems to have set things up is a decoy. They've moved anything of importance off the map, somewhere that we aren't aware of. That lab is to try and get us off the path. Like I said before, they know our moves before we even make them, so we need to start thinking differently. While I've been out and patrolling the sewers, I managed to find an area near this end of the sewers, closer to the edge of New York, where there's a place that we can make out new home once this is all said and done. I know that's the least of our worries, but until we can come up with a plan that we know like the back of our hand, there's only so much that we can do." 

Leatherhead spoke up, his voice rough but similar to how Donnie sounded when he got really into explaining an experiment or scientific finding, "I have spoken to Donatello and decided that I can be of greater help than I had originally figured. The Foot, thankfully, seem to have forgotten about my existence, which works in our favor. We have been tinkering with the ear pieces that had been damaged at your last plan, and we have installed tiny cameras within them. With Miss O'Neil and Mr. Jones' permission, we have an idea that might work. Despite the finding that the current lab is a decoy, there will still be crucial information that we can learn from there." 

Donatello picked up where his friend finished, standing with his excitement, "If we were to send either April or Casey in under cover as a delivery person, there's a chance that they could drop  _this._ " He pulled out what looked like a tiny metal spider. You cringed. 

"This is a tiny detonator. It has a camera in it, and we can control it from the rooftops a few buildings over. We can hang around for a little bit, and then the spider, under my control, can hack into the computer databases." 

You grinned, heart starting to hammer as you stood as well, "And then we can download the parm files, detonate the spider to destroy the evidence, and get the hell out of there before any of them know what's going on! Oh my God, that's genius!" 

Donatello flushed a little as Leonardo clapped both him and Leatherhead on the shoulder, "Well, it's really not that amazing... I mean, it's sort of a stroke of brilliance...." 

"That's an amazing plan," Leo said, and you could tell that he was fighting the urge to tweak the plan, "The only problem with that is we need to figure out who will be going. This isn't a big enough plan for all of us to go, and the more of us there is, the more risk we place on getting caught." 

Leatherhead leaned forwards, "That was part of our plan consideration, too. Donatello would go, with one or two more people, and he will have the ear piece connected to mine. He will hack the spider and hack the lab. But in case of discovery, he will not save it to his laptop. He will be on a mirror screen with me here, at an untraceable location, sending me the information to save, encrypt and copy so a different network. If you do not get caught, you will return safely. If you do, destroy the mother board. Once the program has been closed down, it will automatically perform a system reset, but to cover our tracks, destroy the mother board." 

Raphael leaned forwards, "This is great and everything, but when are we gonna go back and kick some ninja butts?" He slammed his fist into an open hand, scowling. 

Despite the brilliance of the plan and the adrenaline that was pumping through you at the idea of finally doing something, there was a part of you, a restless, angry and humiliated part of you that wanted to fight. You wanted to make up for the embarrassment that you had put upon yourself, how weak you made yourself appear. Leonardo scowled and made an annoyed chuffing sound. 

"Raph, settle down. Not everything is going to be fast paced and 'butt kicking'. We need to actually stop and think things through, which I know that you've never been good at, but--" 

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Raphael growled, his expression darkening as he pushed off of the fridge. 

"Hot head," Mikey mumbled, stuffing his face with food. He had been pretty quiet throughout the meeting, you noticed, eyeing him curiously. 

Master Splinter raised his hands, voice firm as he tried to keep the peace, "Please, my sons. The last thing that our family needs is to fight. We must stay together." 

Leo shot his brother a superior sort of look and re-crossed his arms, "Exactly." 

Raphael's jaw worked as he tried to suppress an angry outburst, "Fine. I'm goin' out." 

He turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Leo growled and made to follow, mumbling something about irresponsible children, but Splinter laid a hand on his arm, stopping him. He shook his head, that was all, and Leo deflated, sighing a little. 

"We'll fill him in on the rest when he decides to come back," Leo snapped, trying to reign his annoyance in, "When do you think the spider and communication will be ready to go?" He addressed Don and Leatherhead, who had their foreheads pressed together and were muttering something. 

Leatherhead straightened, "Tomorrow evening it will be ready to go." 

Don nodded his head, "Yeah, the spider just needs to be tweaked, and we need to connect the decoy laptop and Leatherhead's main frame. Then it'll all be ready to go." 

Leo nodded, happy, "Good. That means the the only thing left to do is decide who goes and who stays. Obviously, Don and I go. I don't think we should have more than three people on this, Don to do all of the technical work, the other two monitoring the area to make sure that nobody is onto us. How far away will the connection reach?" 

Don thought for a moment, then said, "We should be good on a roof a block and a half west from the lab. Any more and it'll be pretty slow." 

Leo nodded again, his eyes unfocusing as he started to thread the plan together, "Alright, alright... Leatherhead won't be able to come, Don and I are already coming, Master Splinter should stay here to hold the fort down," you thought you saw Master Splinter sigh at that, "And _____ obviously won't come. I think--" 

"Wait, what do you mean I  _obviously_ won't come?" You said, eyebrows knit together in confusion. 

Leo suddenly looked awkward, "Well, I mean, I just assumed that, y'know, after last time you might want to take it easy for a little bit..." 

You smiled bitterly, "You don't want me to go in case I freak out again?" You knew that your anger was irrational - you could understand where he was coming from, but you  _needed_ to do something to take your mind off of things. 

Besides, when you get into a car crash, as soon as possible you're told to get back into the car and drive, not to let fear overrun you. Yeah, sure, fighting and killing was nothing like a car crash but... it's the theory that counted, right? Leonardo watched you for a moment, considering. You knew that he was hesitant to let you come, but you kept his gaze, steady and as calm as you could be. 

Finally, reluctantly, he said, "Alright. You, Don and I will go tomorrow night and gather information. Mikey, you'll stay here with Raph and scout the sewers to make sure that the foot aren't still somewhere hidden. I found where the bomb was - Raph knows where it is. Check there first. And please, be careful and quiet," he added imploringly, staring intently at his youngest brother. 

Mikey scowled and belched, hopping off of the counter and saying sassily, "When am I ever not careful and quiet?" He let out another huge burp, patting his stomach and tossing the bowl he had been eating chips from into the sink, resulting in a loud crash. 

"Riiiight..." Leo said, before sighing and clapping his hands, "Alright, we have work to do. ______, I would suggest getting as much training done as you can. You're going to need it." 

Annoyance flared at his comment, but you knew that he didn't really mean anything by it. You held your tongue and settled back down on your chair - you had forgotten that you were still standing. Once the meeting was adjourned, you were left sitting in silence at the table as everyone split to do their own thing to prepare for tomorrow night. That left you to decide what you wanted to do to kill the time and quell the restless energy that had been roused. 

You decided to.... 


	26. Restless Urges [Raphael #4]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO just a heads up, the next few character choices from here on out are going to start to get a little more adult and a lot more angsty. So, you've been warned. It is, after all, rated explicit for a reason.

You decided to go and find Raph. He was pretty agitated when he left, and you were worried that he was going to... well, perhaps not cause a kerfuffle, but... cause a kerfuffle. You told Master Splinter where you were going (he just smiled knowingly at you, which made you a little uncomfortable) and you slipped out of the lair. There was a manhole that lead topside nearby, and you figured that Raph had wanted air. You slipped up, peering out to make sure that there was nobody around. It was empty. 

You hopped out and scurried up the fire escape to your left and onto the rooftop. You took a deep breath and looked around. You hadn't been topside since arriving at Leatherhead's lair, and the fresh air was nice. You didn't recognize the area of New York that you surfaced in, but it seemed quieter. The air was sweeter. It was peaceful. Thankfully, you didn't have to look too far to find where Raph was. From where you were standing, you could see the outline of a turtle a few roofs over, stretching and pacing restlessly. You smiled a little and quietly made your way over. 

He glanced over at you as you hopped onto the roof, grunting in acknowledgement and returning to pacing. You were silent, a little awkward and unsure of what to say to calm him. You could feel the frustration thrumming off of him like waves. 

"I can't fuckin' stand not doin' shit," He exploded after a moment, the venom in his voice making you jump a little, "Our home is destroyed. We've been movin' around to fuckin' 4 different places, and the one time that we actually DID somethin', we got our asses handed to us." 

You winced a little, feeling slightly guilty about that last bit, but he ranted on before you could say anything, "Fuckin' Leo walking around like he's the leader of the goddamn world, our  _fearless leader_ who can't even think up a plan that that metal ass bin can't figure out. I'll tell ya somethin', it's not cause he knows the way  _we_ operate, it's cause he knows the way  _Leo_ operates. Man, the guy can't even take the stick out of his ass long enough to ask if someone else has a plan that might work better than what he comes up with. Man, it just... Argh!" 

He let out a growl of frustration and turned, sinking his fist in a billboard stand behind him. You blinked, unsure of what to do to calm him down. You didn't want to make things worse, and you didn't know how to make things better. Raphael was explosive and as unpredictable as a bomb. You walked forwards and reached a webbed hand out, gently putting your hand on the fist still pressed against the board. 

Raph looked at you, eyes clouded over with anger, frustration and worry. In that moment, he looked so raw, so vulnerable that it took your breath away. You felt like every molecule in your body was vibrating, your eyes locked on his intense ones. After a moment, he let out a, "Tch," noise and pulled his fist away, turning his back to you. You gulped, trying not to feel hurt at his reaction. You were silent for a moment, before clearing your throat. 

"I'm sure he has a lot on his plate, too," you started, hurrying on when he rounded on you, "It isn't just you that lost your family and your home, and he's had to be the leader for years now. It's something that he's had to grow up in and it's hard for him to get out of it." 

Raph let out an irritated chuff, "What the hell do you know? You haven't been in our lives long enough to make assumptions like that. Besides, if you seem to know what Leo's thinking, why don't ya go and check on him, hmm? Make sure that our  _stressed, upset leader_ has someone to lean on." 

You scowled, patience starting to run out, "That wasn't what I meant, Raph." 

"Oh, I know what you meant," he snapped, advancing on you, arms spread, "Everyone tells me the same goddamn thing. 'Lay off Leo, He's so stressed, He's got a lot of things on his plate,'. It's never, 'Lay off of Raph, He's got a lot on his plate,'." You let out a bitter laugh as you took a step back, anticipating a fight, "I'm always the bad guy, yeah? Is that why you came up here? Try and calm me down so I can do back down there and make nice? Well, it ain't going to fucking work, so you can leave now. Go back to Leo, snuggle up with him and tell him that you tried." 

You blinked, cutting him off before he could continue, "What do you mean snuggle up with him?" Your voice was higher than usual, cheeks flushing indignantly as he smirked cruelly, "You think that I'm  _sleeping_ with him!?" 

Raph let out a humourless laugh, "I mean, it's sort of obvious." 

It was your turn to advance on him, eyes narrowing dangerously, "How so, Raph? Because the last time I checked, I haven't slept with or snuggled any of you, much less  _fucked_ any of you. How do you figure I'm sleeping with Leo? Because I came up here trying to get you to calm the fuck down and see that you aren't the only brother who lost a home? The only brother in danger?" 

Raphael's jaw worked, his hands clenching into fists. He didn't speak. You went on, voice rising. 

"Where the hell did that even come from? What the hell have I even done to you? You're so fucking hot and cold with me that I can't tell whether or not you like me or you want me to disappear off of the face of the earth! News flash, Raph! I didn't fucking ask for this. Would you have liked it if I had just ignored what I saw and let you guys get bombed and taken? Hmm? I'm done feeling guilty about trying to save your sorry asses, alright? Especially when you're going to fucking accuse me of sleeping with your brother when I don't immediately jump to your defense! AND THAT'S ANOTHER THING," you shouted, because Raph had opened his mouth to retort, "If you had shut up and let me talk, I would have told you that no, Leo wasn't in the right either. He gets too into his head about this leader thing, and he refuses to admit that sometimes you might have good ideas. He has no patience with you, and he, just like you I might add, seems to forget that he isn't the only one that's struggling." 

You stopped and took a breath, glaring at Raph, who's hands were still clenching. 

"Leave me alone," Raph growled after a moment, giving you one last glare and turning to disappear. 

"What are you going to do, run away and beat up some punks on the street? Yeah, smart idea when we're trying to lay low." You snapped before you could stop yourself. 

There was only so much pushing that Raph could handle without snapping, and it seemed like you had finally hit his breaking point. He let out a snarl and said, "Well, how about I turn my fists the other way?" And he swung at you. 

You ducked just in time and poured all of your strength into your hands. You pushed him back as hard as you could and he stumbled, cursing under his breath as you shot forwards and planted your foot into his chest. 

"A move I believe that you taught me, might I add," You said testily, smirking at him. 

Raph let out another growl, this one making the hairs on the back of your neck prickle and a sliver of uncertainty slip through your anger. You were no match for Raph in a fight, and you were worried that you pushed him too far. You weren't sexist or anything like that, but you were sure that he had to be angry to swing first at a woman. You were determined not to let him lay his hands on you, and that worked for a few moments before you let your guard down. 

You feinted left one time too many, and he anticipated your move, grabbing your arm and propelling you backwards against the wooden billboard stand. Your head hit with a dull thump and you saw stars, winded. Within a second, Raphael had his hand around your throat, his face inches from yours, body pinning yours against the stand.

"Not so tough now, are ya, princess?" He snarled. 

He was breathing heavily, sweat and anger glistening across his skin. You spluttered, eyes widening as his fingers tightened around your throat, worried, for the first time, that he was going to seriously hurt you. You refused to look away, though. You stared right into his eyes, squirming against him, trying to mentally tell him to stop, to calm down and to think. 

After a moment, the anger in his eyes seemed to lift, replaced with something... else. The air turned electric and your body hummed. His grip loosened, his hands instead grabbing your shoulders. Before you could take a breath to fill your aching lungs, you felt lips pressed against yours, bruising, hungry, desperate. Your eyes widened, frozen, heat flushing through your body in waves. Your throat ached, your body ached, but you couldn't focus on that. 

Raphael was kissing you, feverishly, roughly, and.. you didn't push him away. 

You kissed him back, hesitantly, startled by the intensity. When you didn't pull back, Raphael kissed you deeper, a little less roughly, his lips now hesitant. You wondered idly if this was his first kiss. If it was, it wasn't bad. Your eyes fluttered close and your arms hesitantly wrapped around his shoulders. He grunted into the kiss, hands lowering from your shoulders, to your waist, and to your thighs. He abruptly lifted you off of the ground, your back digging into the stand. You let out a muffled grunt of surprise, wrapping your legs around his waist. Friction caught your breath, wonderful, tempting friction that heated your skin, heated his skin where you touched him. 

He pressed his body harder against yours, like he couldn't get close enough to you, and you let out a soft moan as the air was pressed out of you. He let out a little churr of pleasure, hands slipping under your shirt and bringing goosebumps across your fevered skin. You bit his bottom lip softly, bringing a smile to his lips. You rocked your hips forwards, feeling his body against yours, the warmth of his body, the feeling of his tongue against yours, his hands on your body, the way that his muscles rippled under your hands. 

You were feeling light headed, your chest constricting from the lack of oxygen. You had to break the kiss. You intended to only break it for a moment, but Raphael seemed to take it as a rejection of sorts. Once you pulled away, he stiffened, eyes opening and searching your gaze. Panting, you felt like you should say something, pull him back, but before you could, he pulled away. He gently let you down and cleared his throat, turning his back to you and coughing. 

You stood like that, leaning against the stand and staring at his back, panting, shivering, searching for something to say. The words wouldn't come. You wanted to pull him back. Your lips were tingling, both sets, but you didn't have the chance to steel your courage. 

"Hey, what are you guys doing up here?" Mikey sauntered over, pursing his lips suspiciously. 

Raph grunted and turned away from Mikey, walking to the edge of the roof and taking a few loud breaths. Mikey sidled up to you and looked at you, leaning down and putting his face right into yours. He had freckles. 

"Whoa, dude, you don't look so good." 

"N-No, I'm..." You cleared your throat - your voice had come out three notches too high, "I'm fine. We were just.. fighting. Yeah. He's in a mood. I wouldn't bother him." 

Mikey stared at you, obviously not believing you, but he couldn't figure out what else could be wrong. In the lights from the city, he blinked and stared at your neck, then turned a glare on Raph. 

"Did you do that?" He said, his voice loud as he pointed at your neck. 

"What?" Raph asked, obviously annoyed. 

"There are bruises on her neck," You hadn't heard Mikey this sharp with anyone before. It took you by surprise. 

"Fuck off, Mike," Raph grumbled. He disappeared, climbing down the side of the building. 

Mikey stared after him and looked at you, "Are you alright?" 

You nodded, not speaking, wishing that Mikey would just go away so that you could follow Raphael. Mikey took your silence in stride and grabbed your arm, gently pulling you the way that he had come. 

"Come on, Let's get some ice on that before it swells too much more." 

You glanced over your shoulder. You could swear that you saw a flash of red peeking over the side of the roof. 


	27. Calming the Storm [Leonardo #4]

You decided that Leo was right. You needed more training, and you needed to take your mind off of everything. It had been a few days since you had really done any training, and your limbs were stiff. You stretched every morning still, but the last few stagnant days had gotten to you. Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, you wandered through the lair until you got to Leatherhead's quiet room. There were foam pads on the ground, a punching bag in the middle of the room and weights to the left. Why Leatherhead called this his quiet room was beyond you but hey, it was his house. 

You paused in the doorway. Leonardo stood in the middle of the room, facing you. He was still, his mask turned around so that it covered his eyes. You grinned. You had watched him train like this before, and you knew how serious he was. But you were still restless. You needed action. So, what was the harm in distracting him a little bit? Besides, you needed the exercise as much as he did. (Not true, but eh). 

Quietly tying your hair back into a ponytail, you crept forwards, staring at Leo. He gave no sign that he heard you or sensed you, but you were sure that he did. You walked right up to him, inches away, staring at him. Nothing. You pursed your lips and reached out, poking him in the chest. He didn't even flinch. You stepped on his foot, lightly, then slowly adding pressure. He was as still as ever. You took a deep breath and pounced on him, trying to push him to the ground or at least make him stumble. He was a freaking rock.You saw the ghost of a smile upturn his lips, though. 

He was perfectly still, but his lips parted, his voice soft, "Mikey's tried this. It didn't end well." 

You arched an eyebrow and sassed, "Yeah, well, Mikey's a doofus." 

Leo definitely smiled this time, but he kept silent. You tried everything that you could think of, even lowering yourself to Mikey's level and letting a burp loose in his face. He didn't even twitch. Getting frustrated, you started prodding his plastron, even the sensitive parts on his side. Nothing. Breathing hard through your nostrils, you took a step back and glared at him. Taking a step back, you made a split second decision to rush at him. He couldn't see you, and you were close enough that even when he heard your feet slap on the pad, there was no way that he would be able to move. 

You grinned to yourself, still, and then shooting forward. Just as you pounced, Leo moved, grabbing your waist and slamming you down on the mat. The air rushed out of your lungs and your eyes were wet from the impact. Leo pinned you down, grinning at you cheekily. You gasped as air rushed back into your lungs. Feeling spiteful, you started playing things up, gasping and letting out a pitiful, choked sob. Leo's grin fell away and he reached up, hastily pulling his mask off and looking at you in concern. 

While he was caught off guard, worried that he had hurt you, you grabbed his arm and twisted him off to the side, using a defensive movement that he had taught you a few weeks ago. You had never been able to actually perform it unless he let you, so when you managed to twist and push him off, your stomach soared and you laughed. Leo grunted, swore and laughed, easily breaking out of the hold and flying at you. 

You wrestled for a few moments, but you were easily overpowered. He had you pinned again, his legs holding yours down and his forearms against your shoulders. You couldn't move more than a little bit of a wiggle, and your laughter quickly turned to frustrated puffs of air. Leo grinned triumphantly at you, and you narrowed your eyes. You took a deep breath and blew as hard as you could into his eyes, letting out a shriek of laughter as he recoiled and accidentally kneed you in the crotch. Tears in your eyes, body shaking from laughter and pain, you curled up into a ball. Leo, laughing as well, sat up and apologized breathlessly. 

"A-Are you alright?" He asked, his own eyes tearing from laughter. 

Nodding your head, you wheezed, trying to catch your breath and stop laughing. It took the better part of 20 minutes for the two of you to stop giggling and catch your breath, and the two of sat on the mats for a few moments after, clearing your heads. 

"Well," Leo said, trying not to laugh, "That didn't go the way that I wanted." 

"Not sorry," you said quickly, grinning and giggling. 

Leo shook his head, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing again, "I'm going to go get some water. When I come back, let's get some actual training done. Deal?" 

You nodded and made a mock serious look, saluting him from the ground, "Yes, sir!" 

He shook his head and pulled himself up, padding out of the room. Your head was throbbing slightly as you took a large swig of your water, downing half of the bottle in one mega gulp. Panting, you brought yourself up and stretched, tired but still buzzing with energy. When Leonardo entered the room again, still drinking water from the bottle, he found you standing in a fight pose, bouncing on the balls of your feet. 

"Mortal Kombat," You said in a mock deep voice, grinning at him. 

Leo shook his head, smiling in amusement, and put his water off to the side. Standing in front of you, he ordered you to stand straight and take a few breaths to calm yourself. It was a little more difficult than you thought, because the more that you tried to stay serious, the more you wanted to laugh. Eventually, though, you sobered up and stood as Leo directed. He lead you through some breaths, some slow movement control, and you were proud of yourself for not being totally drippy with sweat once you were done the warm up. 

You took another swig of water before you started to do some slow defensive training. You ran through some generic movements, slow at first, but then picking up momentum, until the two of you were blurs of movement. You switched up patterns and kept at it until you had to stop and catch your breath. 

"You're doing good," Leo praised, barely panting.

Pushing a few sweaty strands of hair out of your face you grimaced, gulping air greedily before jumping back into things. It wasn't until you were inches away from collapsing that Leo decided to call it quits. Dragging your sorry ass out of the workout room, you waved sourly at Mikey as you passed him in the living room. You grabbed another bottle of water, chugging it, and then thumping tiredly into the bathroom to shower. Closing the door behind you, you peeled your sweaty clothes off and threw them on the ground. Turning the water on and stepping in, you let out a happy sigh. 

You stood under the water for as long as you could stand it before washing your hair and soaping yourself down. Once you were done, you hung around in the bathroom, finger-combing your wet hair and massaging your sore muscles. Once you were done, you realized that you had forgotten to grab a change of clothes. The ones that you had been wearing were now stiff. You hoped that you could scurry into your room without being seen. Grabbing your clothing under your arm, you slowly opened the door and peered down the hall. Empty. 

You pattered down the hall and into your bedroom, backing in and pushing the door closed. You turned around and froze, cheeks flushing. Leo sat on your bed, holding two mugs of tea and staring at you, flushed. The two of you stared at each other awkwardly in silence, before you cleared your throat and turned away. Leo coughed a little and put the two mugs down. 

"I'm, uh, sorry," He began, "I, um.. just thought that you might want some, um, herbal tea.." 

"Uh, thanks," you said, shyly glancing over your shoulder. 

He blinked at you, "Oh, uh, sorry, I'll just, um, leave now." 

"You can come back... after I get dressed, and stuff, y'know," you said, shuffling out of the doorway. 

Leo smiled a little, cheeks still flushed as he stood and walked to the door, "Alright, um, I'll be outside the door. Just let me know when you're...uh, dressed." 

You watched as he exited the room, closing the door quietly behind him. You quickly got dressed, throwing on a pair of grey shorts and a black tank top, tying your wet hair back in a tight bun at the nape of your neck. You called him back in softly and lowered yourself onto the head of the bed, grabbing your mug of tea and blowing on it softly before sipping. It was perfect, like always. Leo poked his head in before he joined you on the bed. You wouldn't meet your eyes. How cute. 

You smiled at him over the rim of your mug, and after a few awkward moments of silence, you decided to break the ice. 

"How are you holding up?" 

Leo blinked, taken aback by the question, "What do you mean?" 

"I mean with everything going on. Losing the lair, relocating again and again... how are you holding up?" 

The look on his face made you wonder how often anybody other than Splinter asked how he was doing. Perks of being the leader of the family, you guessed, but you couldn't help feeling bad that he didn't have much of a support system. Not to put Master Splinter down at all, but sometimes it's nice to feel like you have more than just your father. He chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment and took a sip of tea before responding, hesitantly. 

"I'm doing alright. Mikey is taking it pretty hard, and so is Raph--" 

You cut him off gently, "I mean you. How are  _you_ feeling? Not your family. You." 

He blinked and looked at you, something passing in his gaze that you couldn't read. He swallowed thickly and his gaze unfocused as he looked within himself. Despite all of the time that he spent meditating and reflecting, you could tell that it took a little bit for him to search how he really felt, not how he should feel. As the moments of silence ticked on, you wondered if you should change the subject. Maybe he felt a little too awkward, opening himself up. Just as you were about ready to change the subject to something like music, he opened his mouth, hesitating only a second, before letting everything out in a rush, like he was scared of being stopped. 

"Sometimes I really hate being the one that has the weight of my family leaning on me. Father has a lot to worry about, and he's the head of the family, but the older he gets, the more he leans on me in return. Besides, I have to worry about him all of the time - I don't want him to get hurt, so on top of that, I have to watch over my three brothers. Donnie's not too bad, he mostly keeps to himself and understands things from my point of view, but Mikey's just too emotional and gets carried away, and Raph..." he paused for a mili-second, frustrating flitting across his expression, "He's never been good with following orders. Despite all of this, they look up to me. They have for years, and although I'm used to it, I just.. can't afford to look weak in front of them, can't let them see me beaten down." 

He leaned back against the wall and sighed heavily, gripping the mug tightly. After a second of silence in which you racked your brains to find a response, he spoke again, saving you from having to fill that gap. 

"Did anyone tell you about the first time that the Shredder came back?" He asked softly, looking at you. 

You shook your head no. He shifted to get more comfortable, took a sip of tea, and started speaking, his eyes far away and staring unseeingly at the wall. 

"I went out to train. I was restless. Our home had been compromised for the first time, the sewers swarming with the Foot. We crashed at April's. It was early in the morning, and I needed to go out and do something. Master Splinter told me to not take too long, and I didn't think I would be longer than an hour or two. I would be back in time for breakfast, at the least." He paused, gathering his thoughts, then continued, "I was cornered by the Foot. We had no idea why they were active - as far as we knew, the Shredder was dead. I... was reckless. I followed them. I had no idea who they were working for or why they were attacking my family." He shook his head, "They were working for someone, alright, and the Shredder wasted no time in making himself known." 

"He almost killed me. He did it to make a statement - he beat me within an inch of my life, destroyed my swords, and threw me through April's window. He sent his minions after me, invading the building and trying to wipe us out. They almost did it, too - all of us were locked in a huge safe and they lit the place on fire. If there hadn't been an emergency exit, we'd all of died. I was in no shape to fight for weeks, and my family.. they broke apart. Raphael, surprisingly, was the biggest help in getting me back up to par, but if I hadn't of made it... there wouldn't be a team. I'm the glue that's holding them together, making sure that they can function, that they don't have to worry about things. I can't afford to be weak." 

He fell silent for a moment, and you knew that he had run out of steam. You set your tea to the side and scooted closer to him, reaching out and putting your hand on his arm. He looked up at you, face carefully guarded. 

"You have the right to feel, Leo. You have every right to feel stressed and you have every right to be able to have someone to lean on, someone to talk to. It doesn't make you any less of a leader. It makes you  _normal._ It means that you have emotion, and it makes you strong... If you need someone to talk to that won't think any less of you, you can come to me. I can't promise to have all the right words to say or be able to totally understand, but if you need someone to talk to... I have ears." 

You had expected him to be a little uncomfortable with your words, but you had intended to try and make him feel better, and possibly open up to you. You hadn't anticipated his reaction. One moment, you were staring at him, smiling softly, your hand lingering on his arm, and the next, you felt soft, hesitant lips pressing against yours. It was only a moment, and he pulled away fast, embarrassed, spilling tea on the bed spread. Your lips were tingling and all you could do was stare at him, your heart pounding and cheeks flaming. He started stammering apologies, not looking at you, his face just as flushed as yours. He put his mug to the side, jumping off the bed and trying to pull the sheets off. When he saw that you weren't moving, you were just staring at him in shock, he froze, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"I'm sorry," he said softly, standing still for a moment before turning towards the door.

"No, don't go," you said, hopping to your feet unsteadily, "I wasn't... I mean, you aren't... You don't have to go." 

Leo eyed you, as if expecting you to be joking, but after a second he nodded and turned back to you. He was about to sit down, when he looked at the tea spill. 

"I'm sorry, I spilled my tea.." 

You shook your head, laughing awkwardly, "No, really, it's fine, see?" 

You grabbed your blanket and pulled it off, "Besides, when it dries it'll smell like my favorite sort of tea." 

His lips twitched into a smile and the two of you sat back down on the bed, a tension spreading through the atmosphere that hadn't been there before. You couldn't help the blush on your cheeks, how you were fidgeting suddenly, and a most unlady-like warmth that had started spreading downwards. You wanted to kiss him again - in fact, it was all that you could think about, but you were too shy to start the kiss again, and from one glance at Leo, you knew that he was too embarrassed to make the first move again. A few tense moments of silence spread, before you cleared your throat and turned to face him. 

"So, uh..." 

"Yeah..." Leo said softly, turning and sitting cross-legged in front of you, his knees brushing yours. 

It happened suddenly, and with no provocation. One moment, the two of you were sitting stiffly in front of each other, and the next, your arms were around his neck, lips pressed together, momentum causing Leo to fall backwards. You broke the kiss long enough to laugh as you tumbled off of the bed, onto him, and started kissing him in earnest now, your bodies flush together. 

You had to admit, it was a little bit awkward - with Leo's shell, with every movement, you rocked from side to side. After a moment, Leo rolled you over and switched positions, the ends of his mask tickling your neck as they fell over his shoulders. You dug your nails into his shoulders and he churred with pleasure, his arms braced on either side of your face so he could kiss you harder. You arched your back up into him, fully aware of how little clothing there was in between you. And, if your turtle anatomy was correct... the clothing barrier was one sided. With one buck of your hips, you grinned softly - yep, your biology was pretty up to date. 

It had been a while since you had kissed someone, let along full-scale, hot and heavy high school made out. Your body was letting you know; every inch of you was aware of Leo's body against yours, every part of your mind wrapped up in his musky, incense-like scent and his taste. He broke the kiss and started trailing soft kisses and nips down the side of your neck and collar bone. You arched your back again, biting your bottom lip and shivering. 

When you glanced down, your eyes met his brown ones, glittering with lust and an intensity that you had rarely seen outside of training. You grinned, goosebumps covering every inch of your skin. 

Just as his kisses were starting to trail a little lower, between your breasts (hesitant, only going as far as you let him), there was a knock at the door. Whoever was on the other side didn't wait for an okay, the door just started opening. Leo shot backwards, grabbing the tea-stained blanket and draping it over his lap. Too stunned to move quite that fast, you were still laying on your back on the floor, nipples harder than diamonds, skin flushed and lips raw. 

Mikey sauntered in, his DS in his hand, "Hey, _____, I just wanted....uh... what's going on?" 

He looked between the two of you suspiciously, eyes narrowing and DS lowering slowly. Leonardo cleared his throat, fidgeting uncomfortably, and you quickly sat up and brought your knees to your chest. Your hair was a complete mess, falling out of your bun and framing your face like a guilt-screen. 

"Uh, we were..." Leo started aimlessly, staring around the room for inspiration. 

"Meditating!" You said quickly, grinning at Mikey in what you hoped was a cool, calm way, "We were just, uh, meditating! Y'know, after work out meditating, cooling down and relaxing, all that jazz!" 

"Meditating... right... jazz..." Mikey repeated, eyes now narrowed almost to slits. 

"Yeah, and, uh, I was just leaving anyways!" Leo said, standing and still holding the blanket around him, "So, uh, have a good night, ____!" 

"Goodnight!" You cheered, trying to hide your frustration and disappointment. 

Leo got about halfway to the door before Mikey turned and said suspiciously, "Why are you taking her blanket?" 

"I, oh, spilled some tea! I'll go get it washed, ____!" 

"Oh, yeah, thanks!" You said, hoping that this painful experience would just end already. You were humiliated and frustrated - not a good combo for your mood. 

"Uhuh..." Mikey said slowly, watching as Leo practically fled from the bedroom. 

There was silence as Mikey eyed the doorway, and then turned to you slowly, eyes narrowed almost to slits. You shot him a bright smile. 

"Oh, gee," you said after a moment, standing and feigning a yawn, "Golly, I'm so tired. I'll have to talk with ya tomorrow, Mike! Sorry! Have a good sleep! 'Kay, bye!" you said, all but pushing Mikey from the room. 

You closed the door and let out a shuddering sigh of relief, and from your side of the door, you heard Mikey's confused and skeptical, "Um... goodnight?" 

You turned the light off and threw yourself onto your bed, groaning loudly into your pillow. 


	28. Playing the Game [Michelangelo #4]

You decided that, despite how annoying he had been, you felt like kicking some ass at Mario Kart. Besides, he could always make you laugh when you needed to, and gaming and laughing was better than dwelling on what was going to happen tomorrow night. You stretched before wandering over to the couch and throwing yourself down beside Mikey, staring over his shoulder as he tried to beat a particularly rough level on Mario Maker. His tongue stuck out in concentration, he managed a narrow victory. 

You whistled, "Damn. You know what would be more impressive? You actually beating me for once on Mario Kart." 

Mikey immediately glared over at you, competitiveness activated, "Oh really? The last time I checked, I still have two more wins over you." 

You scoffed, "1." 

Mikey shook his head, "Nuh, uh! 2!" 

"1! That other win didn't count, I wasn't paying attention!" 

"That kind of sounds like a  _you_ problem," he sassed, sticking his tongue out at you. 

Narrowing your eyes, you reached out and pinched his tongue in between your finger nails. 

"Yeouch!" He yelped, pulling away fast and slapping a hand over his mouth, staring at you in mock horror. 

"How about this," you started conversationally, leaning back into the couch, "We battle. If you reach 3 wins first, then I'll concede defeat and give you that second win. On top of those 3. But if  _I_ get 3 wins in a row, you have to admit that I'm better than you at gaming, and bow down to me in front of everyone." 

Mikey scoffed, obviously doubting that he would have to buck up to his end of the deal, "Yeah. Sure. It's  _soooo_ on." 

You grinned and for 3 hours, you were locked in an intense battle for supremacy, ignoring everyone and everything about you. Only when Leo snapped at you two about arguing "so loudly that you could wake the damn dead" did you stir - you wandered like zombies into your room, kicking the door shut and collapsing on the bed. Another hour or so later, you had long since passed 3 scores, but your competitive natures kept the bet going and going, until 3 became 25. It looked like he was going to beat you, and it made you furious. There was no way that you were going to admit that his last win had been justified - you were distracted! 

So, you decided to return the favor. 

As you hit the last lap, you started to kick him with your foot. He didn't move. So, you progressed to kicking his thigh with one foot, and his arm with the other. He rolled off to the bed and onto the floor, stretching out on his stomach. The lap was almost half over. You had to think fast. You scooted closer, half watching your screen, half focusing on what you were about to do. You waited, perched at the edge, until you could see the finish line on his screen. You were gaining on him. As quick as a light, you reached out and kicked the game right out of his hands. You passed him, beating him by mere inches. 

Mikey let out a yell of outrage, "Hey! HEY! How the hell is that fair!?" He jumped onto his feet and scowled at you. 

You scooted back towards the head of the bed, grinning widely, "How was the win at the lair fair?" 

"But I... That's not... That wasn't... THAT WASN'T THE SAME THING!" He spluttered, jerking forwards and trying to wrench your game out of your hands. 

Shrieking with laughter and trying to scuttle away, you tossed your game over his shoulder. Mikey's anger melted to a mischievous grin.  _Uh oh._

He started tickling you, ruthlessly, relentlessly, every inch of you he could get to. You were mad ticklish - something that you had never disclosed to the brothers before. He had taken a gamble, and hit the jackpot. You starting twitching, jerking like you were having a seizure, shrieking and yelling at Mikey to stop. You frantically tried to crawl away, nails digging into your sheets but he was stronger than you. 

Your stomach hurt, you were crying from laughter and lack of oxygen, and your laughter had turned to wheezes and dying goose hisses. Mikey was laughing too, basically straddling you to keep you from getting away. Thankfully, you were saved - Donnie and Leo burst through the door, eyes wide worried. 

"What the hell's going on here!?" Leo shouted, staring at the two of you in confusion. 

"We heard screaming," Don said, the worry starting to fade away into slight amusement as comprehension dawned. 

Breathing heavily, you pushed Mikey off of you and pulled yourself up, coughing and trying not to puke. Mikey grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck as he said, "She cheated." 

You spluttered but hadn't caught your breath enough to coherently speak. Leo shook his head, annoyance and amusement passing over his face. 

"Keep it down, we thought you were getting murdered," Leo grumbled, turning and stalking from the bedroom with a smirking Donnie in toe. 

As he closed the door behind him, Don called over his shoulder, "Behave, you two." 

You flushed and turned, glaring over at Mikey who's cheeks were flushed, but he looked proud of himself. You planted your hands on your hips and scowled at him, fully aware that your cheeks were bright red, hair was all over the place and that you were suddenly starving. Mikey leaned back on the bed and grinned lazily up at you, his blue eyes twinkling as he looked you up and down in a way that made you squirm. You cleared your throat and stifled a yawn, turning and looking around the room awkwardly. 

"So... wanna rematch?" 

You grinned a little and turned sassily, "Why? I already beat you." 

Mikey scoffed, the grin turning into a competitive sneer, "Nah, that didn't count. But I'm willing to let you try one more time... without cheating." 

You let out a loud bark of laughter and bent down, grabbing your game, "Wow, I'm so  _honored_." 

Mikey grinned and grabbed his game as well, scooting over to make room for you beside him. You sat back down, knowing that you still won but not wanting to stop gaming. As you booted the game up again, a comfortable yet tense silence fell over the two of you. Your skin tingled where his thick fingers had tickled you, firm but surprisingly gentle. Goosebumps littered your arms as he settled back near you, his arm brushing yours. 

The game started quietly, but after the first lap the two of you were starting to get aggressive, elbowing each other to try and keep (or in his case, gain) a lead. Just as you were swinging around the last corner to the finish line, Mikey snatched your game out of your hand. You let out an anguished shriek and tackled him over, straddling him and pushing his game out of his hand, trying to secure your win. You knew that it was hopeless, though - you heard the winning gong as he crossed the line before you. Mikey let out a triumphant laugh, and you looked down at him to yell, but you realized how close you were. You were suddenly achingly aware of your body pressed against his, and from the way that his grin faltered, he was, too. 

Probably because he wasn't sure where to put them, you felt his hands on your hips. You shifted a little bit, but the movement caused the two of you to rock to the side. You braced your arms on either side of his head and he tensed underneath you, trying to steady himself. Your eyes locked and you laughed nervously, and Mikey's eyes twinkled. He shot you a small, hesitant smile, and your heart fluttered. 

The silence was deafening. Before you could think about what you were doing, you felt yourself moving down to close the distance between the two of you. Your lips met his, and you felt him tense. You were about to pull back, worried that you had moved too far, but Mikey's arms tightened around you and he kissed you back so enthusiastically it made you giggle. He paused and pulled back, eyes glittering with uncertainty and lust. 

"What?" 

You shook your head and kissed him again, cheeks flaming and body on fire. You straddled him, pressing yourself into him and sighing softly as his hands gripped your sides. He let out a soft churr as you nibbled his bottom lip, his breathing shaky. He was nervous, you noticed. His hands were shaking as they held you, and his body was tense. You pulled back, eyes meeting his. 

"Are you alright..?" you asked hesitantly. 

Mikey blinked, confused for a moment, before letting out a nervous laugh, "Oh, yeah, sorry.. It's just.. first....uh..." He was at a loss for words, cheeks flushed and eyes looking anywhere but into yours. 

You smiled and finished what he was saying with a soft, "First kiss?" 

He nodded and nibbled the inside of his cheek.  _Adorable._ You grinned and gently, sweetly, pressed your lips against his. The corner of his lips turned up and his blue eyes met yours again. God, they were so  _crystal_ blue. They were easy to get lost in. They were so open and, right now, warm. You kissed him again, his soft lips eagerly pressing against yours again. You deepened the kiss, shivering as his tongue prodded at your lips. 

Lips parting, the two of you tongue-tangoed for a few moments, before you pulled back, breathing heavily. Mikey gave you a lopsided grin, eyes twinkling. You pushed yourself up to free your arms and reached out, pulling his mask off gently. You tossed it to the side and he looked up at you, his light green skin oddly.. brighter without the mask. He looked so much younger, so... different without his mask. He felt a little vulnerable, you could tell, and you smiled, leaning down and kissing him again. He relaxed after a few moments, before a loud slamming sound made the two of you jump apart in shock. 

You could hear some yelling from the living area - Raph and Leo, you were sure - and you shot Mikey an exasperated look. He laughed shakily and you two sat there, breathing heavily and listening as the two brothers went at each other for a few moments. You noticed Mikey fidgeting and shot him a curious look, but he only smiled with embarrassment and brought his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. Before you could ask what was bothering him, you heard one of the brothers (Raphael, probably, from the stomping) make his way past your room growling under his breath. One last slam of a door, then all was silent. 

"Jesus. They're going to kill each other one day," You said, hoping to lighten the mood a little bit. You felt like you were back in middle school, almost getting caught by the teacher at recess, kissing a boy under the slide. 

Mikey shook his head, "You have no idea." 

The silence fell again, only broken a few moments later when a yawn rippled through you before you could stifle it. Mikey looked apologetic as he said, "Tired?" 

You nodded, smiling shyly, your eyes suddenly dry. Mikey made to get up, but at the confused look on your face he paused. 

"Do you, uh, want me to go so you can sleep?" 

You shook your head, "I mean, you can go if you want to but, uh, you don't have to if you..." You trailed off, blushing. 

He smiled a little bit, cheeks dusting a darker green. He scooted back onto the bed. The tension was pretty thick still, but you knew that the moment had passed. That didn't mean that you wanted him to leave, though - you wanted him to stay. Sleep was catching up to you, though, and as the two of you idly chatted, you felt yourself fluttering off to sleep. The last thing that you remembered was Mikey snickering a little bit at you, making fun of you fighting to stay awake. You weren't sure, but you thought that you felt him lay down behind you, pulling the covers up over the two of you. 

You woke up, alone, to a large bottle of water and a note taped to it. 

" _ **I guess you win this round.**_ "  


	29. Restraint [Donatello #4]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long wait, guys! School is almost starting up, so I'm gonna try to get as much done at once as I can!

You decided to go and check out what Donatello and Leatherhead had been up to... that is, if they would let you. You didn't want to barge in, but you were painfully bored and tired of Mikey and Raph's antics. You stood and stretched, padding over to the lab doors. Just as you raised your fist to knock. Leatherhead and Don popped out, making you jump back in surprise. Leatherhead looked down at you warmly and Don smiled. 

"Hey, _____! I was just coming to find you," Don said, eyes twinkling the way that they did when he was onto something. 

Leatherhead chuckled a little bit, "You two have fun. I must go and meditate a little bit before I retire. Try not to break things or," he added as he turned, tail swishing behind him, "Find out anything too interesting without me." 

Don laughed and ushered you into the lab as you wished Leatherhead a good night. You had seen many labs in your time, and though Leatherhead's was smaller than you were used to, it was... stunning. It was gleaming, absolutely gleaming - the floors were waxed and shiny, the tables were spotless - not even a finger print to be seen. You felt uncomfortable - it was so clean that you felt at once like you were back at your Nana's place at 6 years old. She put plastic covers over everything and wouldn't let you out of a little pen in the living room that she called your, 'mess zone'. Her house was gleaming and she would yell if you even put a finger out of the pen, she would scream and slap your fingers raw. 

Although the cleanliness reminded you of your nana, the environment was completely different. It was warmer, more forgiving. Donatello grinned at you and pulled you towards the only messy area in the lab - this must have been where they had been working the last few days. There were a few test tubes and a laptop open and humming, downloading something you couldn't read. A notebook with a few rust colored stains over messy writing lay open near a glowing green tube. You frowned a little - it looked...

"Familiar, right?" Donnie's excited voice finished your thought, and you looked up at him with a hesitant grin. 

"I thought that they were destroyed when the lair was trashed!?" 

Donnie grinned, eyes glittering with boyish excitement, "Nope. All of the research that I had compiled was destroyed, but I managed to save the vial of the goo. For some reason, they didn't find it when they trashed the lair. I got lucky," He said with a shrug, the grin stronger than ever. 

"Why didn't you tell me!?" You said, straightening and grinning at the male, trying to seem annoyed but failing. 

He shrugged, "I wanted to be able to bring you some good news before I said anything." 

Your heart fluttered a little bit, but a sudden thought made it plummet. The entire reason that Donnie was researching this goo for you was to reverse it, so that you could return to life as a human. At first, that's what you wanted. I mean, who wouldn't want to be able to turn from a mutant back to a normal, regular human who didn't have to live in the sewers? You would be able to move away and you wouldn't be in danger anymore. Don was sure that they wouldn't go after you if you left. But... the longer that you spent with the brothers, the less the sewers bothered you.. the less that you found yourself mourning your old life. 

Donnie's smile faded a little bit at the look that crossed your face, "Hey, _____, are you alright?" 

You forced a smile back on your face and coughed, "Yeah! Sorry!" You made a face, "I have a headache, is all. What did you guys find out!?" 

As Donnie launched into an explanation of how he had, with Leatherhead's help, deconstructed the bacteria to it's basic molecules, you couldn't help but feel distracted. You were trying to listen to what he was saying, and the science nerd part of you was vibrating with excitement but you found your head filled with a growing sense of confusion and despair. You didn't understand it - you should be excited to go back to your old life. Besides, the Hamato family took you in because they had to. There were no promises that they were planning on you becoming a permanent part of their family. 

"Hey, ______, what's on your mind?" 

You blinked yourself out of your reverie and forced another smile - Donnie's gaze was worried and searching and you focused on somewhere underneath his mask, "Yeah, sorry, just tired. What were you saying?" 

You peered at the goo in what you hoped to be a convincingly interested way, but Don just cleared his throat. You sighed and straightened. 

"Something's bothering you," It wasn't a question. 

You shook your head, shame bubbling up. It seemed unfair for you to complain about having the option to no longer live as a mutant. You were quiet, trying to figure out how to get out of explaining, but Don's concerned stare seemed to bring the confession bubbling out of you. 

"I'm just... I don't know. I don't... I don't really have... Nevermind. Look, it's dumb. I'm just tired and I don't really know.." the words died in your throat. 

Donnie eyed you for a moment - it made you feel uncomfortable. There was no way that you could try and find a way to say how you were feeling without feeling more ashamed and confused. It seemed like he understood how you were feeling, though, and you felt his hand softly press against your cheek. You looked up at him, and his eyes stared into yours. 

"You don't need to tell me if you don't want to. I think I know what's wrong." His lips twitched in a small smile, "I just want you to know that you need to follow what your heart says. We're here for you." 

Guilt and pleasure burst through your chest at his words - as cheesy as they were, you didn't feel the urge to laugh. Before you could stop yourself, the words started tumbling from your mouth. 

"What if I decide to go back to my life? What if we can find a way to reverse this..?" 

Don tilted his head to the side, "Well, what  _would_ happen?" 

You shook your head, slightly annoyed by the reverse question, "I don't know... I have nothing to go back to.. but I just, I just..." 

There was a tense moment of silence, before Don pulled you into his arms. He was cool, and you could feel his heart beat hammering against his chest. You closed your eyes and melted into his embrace, breathing heavily. You felt ashamed by how you were taking things - you felt like a spoiled brat. You knew that even if Don felt the same, he would be too kind to tell you so, but you still appreciated it when he ran a hand through your hair gently, whispering, "It's alright. We'll work it out." 

You shook your head a little bit, pressing yourself against his comfort. You stood there in his arms for a moment, feeling his thick digits run through your hair with surprising ease and softness. You felt him rest his chin on the top of your head and hummed softly, the hand not in your hair rubbing soft circles in your side. After a few calm moments, you forced yourself to pull away from him. You couldn't bring yourself to pull out of his grip completely, though, and instead you stood a few inches away from him, looking up quietly. You didn't know what to say now - you still felt guilty and embarrassed for getting upset. 

Don smiled a little at you, his voice soft, "Are you going to be alright?" 

You nodded, your embarrassment rising, but before you could say anything he continued, "You know that we aren't going to hate you, no matter what you choose, right?" 

So he  _did_ know what you were thinking... sort of. You adverted your gaze and nodded your head, quiet, and he said, "We aren't going to blame you for going back." 

"What if.. I don't want to... go back?" You said softly, hesitantly. 

Donnie paused - even though he had guessed part of your discomfort, it didn't seem like he had entertained the possibility that you would  _want_ to stay. There was an awkward silence in which your embarrassment mounted to humiliation and your heart started to hammer against your chest so loudly you were sure that he could hear it. As the seconds stretched on, you stammered, "I-I mean, if, I mean I wouldn't blame you guys if you didn't.. I mean, if I.. if you... if Leo or..." 

Donnie shook his head, his hands falling to his hips, "You wouldn't blame us if we didn't what?" 

You stammered even harder, "I-I didn't... if you guys didn't, I mean... I sort of fell into your life.. and I-I know that... I can't...." 

He shook his head in disbelief, "You wouldn't blame us if we didn't want you around?" 

Your words caught in your throat. You were embarrassed and angry at yourself for even saying anything before you knew how you felt in the first place. Now you were sure that you had offended him. You shook your head, eyes stinging and cheeks flaming with shame. You turned away from him, ready to just leave the lab, but you felt him grab you back. 

"Hey, where are you going?" He asked, voice firm yet soft. 

You shook your head and refused to look at him, trying to sort out your muddled thoughts. Donnie pulled you back into a hug, petting your hair and side in that comforting way again. You sighed, realizing that you were shaking. 

"Do you honestly think that we wouldn't want you to stay?" He asked gently. 

You shook your head no, but you honestly didn't know what you meant, what you were thinking about the situation. He let out a deep, rumbling sigh and you made to pull away, but he held you firmly in place. You were still tense. 

"We wouldn't. I know that we haven't been family for long, but... we only want you to be happy. Life as a ninja... well, a  _mutant_ ninja isn't all fun and games. You can't do things the way that you're used to. We don't want you to feel like you have to stay like this to be a part of our lives. I mean, take a look at April and Casey. They aren't mutants, and they're still closer to us than we could ever have imagined." 

You were quiet. Referring to you as family made the weight on your shoulders lessen a little bit, but you were still conflicted. He could sense it in your silence, and he pulled back to look at you.

"What's the matter?" He prodded again. 

You shook your head and he lifted your chin, forcing you to look into his warm gaze, "What I meant by that was, we'll stick by you no matter what your decision is. If you want to go back to your old life, nobody here would blame you. We wouldn't 'part ways'. If you wanted to stay, well.. we don't really have a lot of people outside of our little circle that we have much in common with." He shot you a lopsided smile and your heart flipped, "I don't want you to feel like you have to stay this way if you have someone... something to go back for." 

Though he quickly tried to cover up his stumble, you couldn't help but notice the way that he lingered on 'some _one_ '. You arched an eyebrow at him and, to your amusement, his cheeks flushed and it was  _his_ turn to look away. You decided to let it slide, instead muttering, 

"I don't really have anything to go back to.. I mean, unless you count student loans." 

Donnie chuckled, "You have the opportunity to have a life, though, _____. I don't want you to feel like you have to put that on the s--" 

You cut him off, snapping unintentionally, "I don't have much of a life to go back to, Don. That's the thing. These passed few months have been the most... fun and  _interesting_ months that I have literally ever had. I finally feel like I have a family, have a purpose..." you trailed off, feeling like you were starting to pull the whole 'poor me' thing a little too much. 

Donnie looked at you in a way that made you squirm uncomfortably, gaze lowering again. He lifted your chin again. As your eyes met, your heart clenched painfully and goosebumps spread across your neck. You were fully aware of how close the two of you were all of a sudden, how he smelled like sandalwood and formaldehyde, and his breath was warm across your face. Your eyelids lowered a touch and you felt yourself leaning closer to him, your skin vibrating almost painfully. Whatever Donatello was about to say seemed to get caught in his throat - he let out an odd, soft churring noise, his eyes fluttering and his lips parting slightly. 

You were inches away, your breath mingling together in soft huffs. You could feel his hands shaking against you, and your skin felt like it had been electrocuted. You hovered there, silently daring the other to make the final move. You knew that he wasn't going to - he was too soft, too careful with you. You appreciated it, though, until now... you were frozen where you were, eyes darting between his eyes and his lips. The seconds ticked by, feeling like eons, before you finally snapped and closed the distance, maybe a little more aggressively than intended. Donnie stumbled back in surprise but recovered quickly, wrapping his arms around you and kissing you back with a passion that you didn't expect of him. 

You wrapped your arms around his neck and tangled your fingers through the ends of his mask, pushing yourself up on your tippie toes and pressing against his body. He let out a soft churring noise and grabbed you by the waist roughly, hoisting you up. You let out a soft noise of surprise, wrapping your legs around his waist to try and keep your balance. Don backed you against the table and pushed your butt onto it, not breaking the kiss. Your body was shaky - you felt like you did the first time that you ever got drunk. You were unsteady and thankful that Don was steady against you, holding you against him with an iron like grip. You groaned as he nibbled your bottom lip, and your hips bucked against him as you fought to pull closer. 

You were hyper-sensitive all of a sudden, and you were aware of something hard pressing against your abdomen. It didn't take long for you to figure out what it was, and heat and need flushed through you with a startling amount of power. You shuddered and his hands slipped under the hem of your shirt, his cool hands blessed against your heated skin. He had to feel your heart pounding against him; the amount of desire that shuddered through you was alarming. You weren't even ashamed about the little mewl that you let out when he broke the kiss. Panting, you darted forwards, almost throwing yourself off of the table trying to reconnect your lips. Don pushed against you, nuzzling you back. He reached up to try and readjust his mask, but in one quick movement you pulled it off and tossed it to the side. 

He was startled for only a moment, before snapping back into action, reconnecting his lips to yours briefly before trailing kisses down your chin and settling on your neck, leaving little puckered kisses and nibbles that made you squirm like a kid at an amusement park. One of your hands gripped his left arm and the other ghosted down his plaston, eliciting another little churr from him, the noise vibrating against your skin and making you grin and bite your bottom lip. 

He started to trail kisses lower, one hand under your shirt and caressing your skin, the other on your thigh to steady himself. He nipped the shoulder of your shirt and tugged at it playfully, his eyes lifting to yours, glinting mischievously. You arched your hips unconsciously and giggled softly in the back of your throat. Just as Don started nibbling your collar bone, the door opened and both of you jumped away from the table guiltily, you furiously righting your clothes and Don frantically scanning the floor for his mask. Raph walked in, a slice of pizza in both hands and another shoved in his mouth. 

He stood quietly, eyes wide in horror as he took in your guilty shuffling and glances. His mouth fell open and the piece of pizza hit the ground with a wet,  _thwap._ You gulped, your already flushed face hitting an impressive crimson colour. You couldn't even look at Donnie, passion still thumming through you as a steady pulse, skin itching to be touched. But you also didn't want to wait and hear what Raph was going to say. 

You cleared your throat and said, "Well, I should be hitting the sack. G'night," before Raph (who was gearing up to say something) could speak. 

You shouldered your way past him, jogging away from the lab, breathing hard. On your way to the room that you slept in, you rounded a corner and slammed into Leatherhead, who chuckled down at you and said, "Whoa there, little tadpool. Where are you going in such a rush?" 

You forced yourself to smile like nothing was wrong, and say, "Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry. I just.. forgot something in my room! Excuse me!" 

You fled from the confused reptile into the room, closing the door and breathing hard. You stood in the dark for a few moments as your heartbeat slowly started to regulate, your knees shaking. You made your way to your bed and lowered yourself on it, laying on your back and forcing your breath to even out. You closed your eyes and all you could see and smell was Don, all you could taste was him. You shuddered, wrapping your arms around yourself. You felt a flush of irrational anger towards Raph - God, if he had just  _NOT_ come in... 

You lay there, lost in your memories, half hoping that Don would come to your room and... finish things, but also knowing that if he was too shy to make the first move, he was waaaaay too shy to do something so bold as to slip into your bedroom in the dead of night. So, body tingling with frustration, you lay there quietly, waiting for sleep to envelope you.  _Damn you, Raphael._


	30. ** IMPORTANT NOTICE ** PLEASE READ

**WOW. I never expected this story to take off as much as it has. It all started because I was watching compilations of Venus De Milo and Mona Lisa and scoffing at how weak their characters were.**

**Thank you guys so much for all of your support, especially Xuomi. Reading your comments and your reactions to the story progression has been as amusing as writing the chapters themselves!**

**I wanted to add this last chapter as a filler for you guys, just so you know what's going to happen so you're not left in the dark.**

**Because this story took off a lot better than I had expected, it's become a lot** _bigger_ **than expected. Before, I had anticipated just making this one story where you can have 4 extra chapters to choose who you end-game with. Now I see that that's not going to happen. So, if you take a look at the story description, it is now a part of a series called Timeless104. I will be making 4 separate full stories to tie together the 4 character's endings because I realized that, in order to do this to justice, there's no way for there to be a main, unbiased main story after this.**

**It sort of has to be character specific. Especially after the whole Raph and Don situations...**

**So, keep an eye on my series, because the next one (the closure for the entire story with the character's love interest) will be posted as an independent story in this series!**

**As always, I love you guys so much and thanks for all of your support! Please let me know what you think of this idea, how you're liking the story, scene ideas, anything. Feel free to give _any_ sort of feedback that you want, and I'll read it and respond as soon as I can! **

**Stay tuned, turtle lovers.**

**I promise it'll be worth the wait.**

 

**- _Ashe_**


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